> 




Book . Et ^ ^ 




THE 



LIFE OF ELIJAH. 

] 



II 



J, . l^VUtAA-^ 



WRITTEN FOR THE AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION, AND 
REVISED BY THE COMMITTEE OF PUBLICATION. 



3.il3ilatielp|)ia : 

AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION^ 

NO. 146 CHESTNUT STREET. 



ifr^d^ 



^ 



B6&80 
I ess 



Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1835, 
By Paul Beck, Jr., Treasurer, 
in trust for the American Sunday-school Union, in the Clerk's 
Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Penn- 
sylvania. 



404426 
'30 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

tlTTROBrCllair 



Vige 



CHAPTER IL 

ELIJAH AT THE BROOK CHERITH. 



Elijah standing before Ahab — His message — God ; 
speaks to Elijah — Elijah goes to the brook 

Cherith — Description of the country around the j 

brook — Elijah is hungry — He is fed by the ■ 

ravens — Meaning of the name Elijah — How ] 
Elijah spent his time here — Men often ungrateful 

— Elijah a reformer — The brook dries up 15 

CHAPTER HI. I 

ELIJAH AT ZAREPHATH. i 

Elijah commanded to go to Zarephath — Why God ^ i 

sent him thither — Situation of 'Zarephath — | 
Widow of Zarephath and her son — Elijah asks 

her for bread — The meal and oil that did not ] 
fail — How bread was made among the Israelites. 28 

a2 d \ 



6 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER IV. 

BESCRIPTIOX OF MOUJfT LEBAXOIT. 

Four ranges of peaks — Description of the highest 
range — Of the second range — Cedars of Lebanon 
— Cultivated spots — Cold flowing waters of 
Lebanon — Third range — Lowest range — Vine- 
yards and orchards 38 

CHAPTER V. 

ELIJAH RESTORES THE WIDOW's SON TO LIFB, 

Death of the widow's son — Description of the 
death of a child — Grief of the widow of Zarephath 
— Elijah prays to God over the child's body — 
God hears his prayer — The child revives — 
Elijah gives him to his mother — Reflection. ... 48 

CHAPTER VL 

ELIJAH GOES TO MEET AHAB. 

God sends Elijah to Ahab — Ahab searches for 
Elijah — Ahab and Obadiah seek for water — 
Character of Obadiah — Elijah meets Obadiah — 
Ahab comes to Elijah — Prophets and people 
commanded to meet on Mount Carmel 56 

CHAPTER Vn. 

ELIJAH OVERCOMES THE PROPHETS OF BAAL. 

Description of Mount Carmel — EUjah addresses 
the people— Elijah's challenge to the prophets 



CONTENT*. 7 

Page 
of Baal — Conduct of the prophets of Baal — 
Heathen priests — Baal does not hear — Elijah 
mocks the priest of Baal — Elijah builds an altar 
for sacrifice — Fire from heaven consumes the 
sacrifice — Prophets of Baal slain — God com- 
manded the Israelites to put idolaters to death 
— Elijah foretells rain — He goes up to the top 
of Carmel — A little cloud appears—A heavy 
rain follows— Address to children 64 

CHAPTER Vni. 

ELIJAH IN THE DESERT. 

Jezebel threatens Elijah — He escapes to the desert 
— He wishes to die — He sleeps under a juniper 
tree — An angel brings him bread and water — 
Description of angels — Elijah forty days without 
food — Two branches of the Red sea — Horeb 
between them — Description of the desert — 
Mountains of Sinai — Elijah on Horeb — God 
passes before Elijah — The wind — The earth- 
quake — The fire — The still small voice — Elijah 
commanded to go to Damascus — We should be 
thankful that God reigns — Elijah chooses Elisha. 100 

CHAPTER IX. 
naboth's vineyard. 
Ahab covets NabotVs vineyard — Naboth refuses 
to sell it — Israelites forbidden to sell their land 
— Ahab displeased with Naboth — Jezebel pro- 



b CONTENTS 

Fags 

mises to give Ahab the vineyard — Ancient 
custom of sealing letters — Naboth falsely ac- 
cused and slain — Ahab seizes the vineyard — 
Elijah sent to Ahab in the vineyard — Ahab 
humbles himself 144 

CHAPTER X. 

ELIJAH CALLS DOWN FIRE FRO^I HEAYEN. 

Ahab slain at Ramoth-gilead- — Ahaziah injured by 
falling through a lattice — He sends messengers 
to Baal-zebub — Heathen oracles — Messengers 
meet Elijah — They return to Ahaziah — Soldiers 
sent to take Elijah — Consumed by fire from 
heaven — Elijah goes to Samaria 165 

CHAPTER XL 

ELIJAH ASCEXDS IX A FIEBT CHARIOT TO HEAVEK, 

Translation of Enoch — Elijah \isits the schools 
of the prophets — He divides Jordan with his 
mantle — Converses with Elisha — Taken up in 
a fiery chariot to heaven — His mantle caught by 
Elisha — Elisha divides the waters of Jordan — 
Sons of the prophets search for Elijah — Elijah 
appears again on earth 177 



THE 

Lir« OF ELIJAH. 



CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTION. 

I wmii u* lell the children who are 
beginnnig to read this book, some 
things which it will be necessary for 
them to know, in order to under- 
stand the story of Elijah. 

Ahab, the son of Omri, became 
king over Israel about three thou- 
sand and eighty-six years after the 
creation of the world, and nine hun- 
dred and eighteen years before the 
birth of Christ. He reigned over a 
beautiful country, which extended 



10 



THE LIFE 




from the mountains of Lebanon on 
the north to the kingdom of Judah 
on the south, and from the Mediter- 
ranean on the west to the desert of 
Syria on the east. 

This kingdom had been separated 
from the kingdom of Judah imme- 
diately after the death of Solomon. 
Jeroboam, who was the first king of 
Israel after the separation, did not 



OF ELIJAH. 11 

like to have his subjects go up to 
Jerusalem, at the feast of the passo- 
ver, and the feast of pentecost, and 
the feast of tabernacles, though God 
had commanded them to do so. He 
feared that, if they went so frequently 
to Jerusalem, they would become 
reconciled to their brethren, the Jews, 
and finally unite with them into one 
kingdom, under the kings of Judah. 
These kings of Judah were descen- 
dants of David, who had been a very 
popular king, and the people would 
be in more danger of liking: them on 
that account. So Jeroboam wick- 
edly made two golden calves, and 
set one up in Bethel, and the other 
in Dan, for the people to worship 
The priests and Levites who Avere 



12 



THE LIFE 




in the cities of Israel, would not join 
in this idolatry. They left the land 
of Israel and went to Judah, where 
they could worship at the temple of 
God. Thus, the Israelites were de- 
prived of their usual teachers, and 
temp4;ed to idolatry by their king. 
But many prophets lived among 
them, who, from time to time, taught 



OF ELIJAH. 13 

them their duty, and delivered mes- 
sages to them from God. All the 
kings who reigned over Israel v^ere 
very vi^icked, but Ahab vras v^orse 
than any of the others. He set up 
other idols besides the golden calves, 
and worshipped them constantly, 
without attempting to conceal it, or 
being in the least ashamed of it. He 
married Jezebel, daughter of Eth- 
baal, king of Tyre. She was aunt 
to Queen Dido, who built the city 
of Carthage. 

Ahab reigned twenty-one years. 
He was a weak king, and was entire- 
ly governed by his wife, who was 
devoted to the idolatrous religion of 
her father, and was full of pride and 

cruelty. Ahab and Jezebel built a 
B 



14 THE LIFE 

temple for Baal, in Samaria, and set 
up an image of Baal, and consecrated 
a grove to the worship of the god 
of the Phenicians. They supported 
many prophets or priests of Baal, 
and also many priests of Astarte, a 
Phenician goddess. The Israelites 
forgot the law which had been given 
to their fathers on Mount Sinai, and 
were fast becoming a nation of ido 
laters. 



OF ELIJAH. 16 



CHAPTER II. 

ELIJAH AT THE BROOK CHERITH. 

t^lijah standing before Ahab — His message — God 
(Bpeaks to Elijah — Elijah goes to the brook Cherith— 
Description of the country round the brook — Elijah 
is hungry — He is fed by ravens — Meaning of the 
name Elijah — How Elijah spent his time here — Men 
often ungrateful— Elijah a reformer — The brook 
dries up. 

A MAN was standing before King 
Ahab. He was dressed in a coarse 
garment, made of camel's hair, call- 
ed sackcloth. His manner was digni- 
fied and commanding, and his coun- 
tenance serious and somewhat stern. 
He had brought a message from God. 

The king, and his attendants, and 
the Israelites who looked on, knew 
it to be the prophet Elijah. 



16 



THE LIFE 




He had been commanded by God 
to pronounce sentence against Ahab 
and the whole nation of Israel for 
their wickedness. 

He said to the king, " As the Lord 
God of Israel liveth, before whom I 
stand, there shall not be dew nor 
rain these years, but according to 
my word." 



OF ELIJAH. 17 

The prophet did not fear the an- 
gry looks of the king. The people 
were astonished at Ehjah's boldness, 
and distressed at the terrible sen- 
tence which he had uttered in the 
name of God. 

No rain for years ! The fields of 
gi;^!!^ would wither, there would be 
no food for man, and the cattle would 
die of thirst. 

A voice spoke to Elijah, but it was 
heard by no others. It was not the 
voice of a man. It was the Spirit 
of God speaking to the mind of Eli- 
jah, and saying, " Get thee hence, 
and turn thee eastward, and hide 
thyself by the brook Cherith, that is, 
before Jordan. And it shall be that 
thou shalt drink of the brook ; and I 

b2 



IS 



THE LIFE 



have commanded the ravens to feed 
thee there." 

Elijah obeyed. He went to a so- 
litary place on the banks of the 
brook Cherith, u^hich empties into 
the river Jordan, north-east of Je- 
richo. He looked around. Steep, 



fsamariaO 



Jerusalem-^ 




rugged mountains were near, not like 
the beautifully green, wooded moun- 
tains of America, but rocky and bare. 
There were no fields of corn, or olive 



OF ELIJAH. 19 

yards, or vineyards to be seen. The 
trees of the valley spread their 
branches over his head, and gave 
him a pleasant shade, but they bore 
no fruit. And if a few berries grew 
among the vines that clambered over 
the rocks, they vi^ere not sufficient to 
support a strong man like Elijah. 
He can drink of the waters of the 
brook, but how shall he find food in 
this desolate place ? God will take 
care of him. 

Elijah slept all night by the side 
of the brook. He awoke in the 
morning. The brook ran by him 
with a murmuring sound. The son 
shone brightly in the heavens, but 
there was no dew upon the grass 
and wild flowers. Elijah was hun* 



20 



THE LIFE 



Some birds are flying at a dis- 
tance. They come near to Elijah, 
fanning the air with their wings. 
They are large, and of a glossy 




blackness. They have bread and 
meat in their beaks. Th«y place i . 
near to Elijah, and fly away. 
These birds are ravens 



OF ELIJAH. 21 

But ravens are fond of flesh. They 
are hungry birds, and often cannot 
get as much as they want. If they 
had meat, why did they give it to 
Elijah ? God sent them. 

But ravens do not often come so 
jiear to a man. They are afraid of 
snares, and guns, and arrows. They 
are unsocial birds, and build their 
nests in the highest trees. Why 
did they not fear to approach the 
prophet? God gave them courage 
and confidence in Elijah. 

Elijah ate his breakfast, and thank- 
ed God. All day long he remained 
by the brook Cherith, or wandered 
alone among the hills. At night the 
ravens brought him bread and meat. 
Again he slept by the side of the 



22 THE LIFE 

brook, and again God sent him food 
by his messengers, the ravens. 

Elijah had come to this solitary- 
place in obedience to the commands 
of God. He knew that he could not 
there obtain food in any ordinary 
way. But he trusted in God. If 
you do your duty, God will provide 
for you. 

Elijah's confidence in God was 
great, for he knew that he is able to 
do what he has promised. Almost 
all the Hebrew names have some 
meaning, and the meaning of the 
name of Elijah was '' The Lord, my 
God, is He." 

Elijah spent about a year in this 
lonely spot, drinking of the waters 
of the brook, and receiving his food 



OF ELIJAH 23 

from the birds of the air. In the 
day time, the sun shone with a 
scorching heat upon the earth; for 
there were no mists nor vapours 
to soften its beams. Not a cloud 
was to be seen, and the heavens 
glowed like a furnace. Elijah might 
find a cooling shade among the wil- 
lows that bordered the%rook, or per- 
haps in the caves that abound m 
that hilly country. But he was 
without companions, and probably 
without books. How did he employ 
his time ^. 

Though men were not near him, 
God was near. He prayed to God 
when the day dawned, and when the 
sun ivas high in the heavens, and 
when the moon shone brightly on 
his *ii0ad. 



24 THE LIFE 

When the ravens brought him 
food, he thought of the goodness 
and watchful care of God. 

Men sometimes sow grain upon 
their fields, and see it growing from 
day to day. When it is ripe they 
cut it down, and gather it into their 
barns; but they often forget that 
God made it grow, that they might 
not perish with hunger. 

They clothe themselves warmly 
with the fleeces of their sheep, but 
they too often forget that God caused 
the wool to grow, that they might 
not suffer from the cold. 

They sit down to tables loaded 
with dainties. Their children are 
around them with smiling faces. 
They are healthy and happy. But 



OF ELIJAH. 25 

they do not remember who gives 
them these blessings. They think 
they have obtained them by their 
own labour. 

Elijah was not so ungrateful. His 
heart was fall of love and gratitude 
to God. He wished to obey and 
serve him as long as he lived. 

Elijah thought much of his coun- 
trymen, the Israelites. They had a 
wicked king, who tempted them to 
idolatry. They had followed his 
evil example, and had provoked God 
with their sins, and he had begun to 
punish them with a terrible drought. 
Yet they were perhaps at that mo- 
ment bowing down before the gold- 
en calves at Bethel and Dan, or 
seeking relief from the image of 
C 



26 THE LIFE 

Baal, which Ahab had set up in 
Samaria. 

Elijah was raised up to be a re- 
former in Israel. A reformer should 
be a great and good man. He needs 
courage, and perseverance, and faith 
in God, and great love to the people, 
whom he is trying to reform, and a 
constant hatred of every kind of 
wickedness. Elijah had these qua- 
lities, and they were much strength- 
ened and improved while he prayed 
and meditated by the side of the 
brook Cherith. 

Months passed away, and no rain 
nor dew had fallen upon the earth. 
The brook grew narrower and nar- 
rower. The grass and rushes that 
lined its banks began to wither. 



OF ELIJAH. 27 

The pebbles and roots of trees which 
had been washed by it were left dry 
and bare. It ceased to run, but 
water stood in the deep hollows. At 
last it was dried up. 



28, THE LIFE 

CHAPTER III. 

ELIJAH AT ZAREPHATH. 

Elijah commanded to go to Zarephath — Why God 
sent him thither — Situation of Zarephath — Widow 
of Zarephath and her son — EHjali asks her for bread 
- — The meal and oil that di4 not fail — ^How bread 
was made among the Israelites. 

Elijah waited patiently till God 
should direct him to leave his retire- 
ment, though the waters of the brook 
were fast disappearing, and he had 
no other means of quenching his 
thirst. At last the word of the Lord 
came unto him, saying, '' Arise, get 
thee to Zarephath, which belongeth 
to Zidon, and dwell there ; behold 
I have comihanded a widow woman 
there to sustain thee." 



OF ELIJAH. 29 

God meant to try the faith of Eli- 
jah by this command, as he had 
done before when he promised to 
send him food by the ravens. It 
might seem to the prophet that a 
poor widow, in those times of dis- 
tress and famine, would find it diffi- 
cult enough to take care of her owa 
family. 

But if he was sent to a widow to 
be supported, why was he not sent 
to some of the widows of Israel? 
Why was he directed to a heathen 
country, where the people were wor- 
shippers of Baal? 

Elijah did not know. But he knew 
there are wise and good reasons for 
all that God does. He did not hesi- 
tate to obey him. 

c2 



30 THE LIFE 

Elijah had told king Ahab that 
there would be no rain upon the 
land of Israel, till he returned and 
prayed for it, and predicted it. The 
Israelites were suffering dreadfully 
from famine, as the springs of wa- 
ter were dried up, and the fruits of 
the earth blasted. Ahab was search- 
ing everywhere for Elijah, hoping 
to persuade or force him to pray to 
God for rain: It was necessary, 
therefore, for Elijah to conceal him- 
self, for the Israelites had not yet re- 
pented of their idolatry, and God did 
not intend to send rain upon the 
earth for a long time to come. 

Elijah went to the city of Zare- 
phath, which is between Tyre and 
Sidon, on the coast of the Mediter- 



OF ELIJAH. 



31 




ranean sea and the country of Phoe- 
nicia. In going to that place from 
the brook Cherith, he passed through 
nearly the whole kingdom of Israel 
from south-east to north-west. Yet 
he was not discovered by Ahab, or 
any of his friends. He entered the 
country of Phoenicia, which is a nar- 
row strip of land, shut in between 
the mountains of Lebanon on the 



32 



THE LIFE 



east, and the Mediterranean sea on 
the west. He drew near to the city 
af Zarephath. It was surrounded 
by walls. As he approached the 
gate, he saw a poor woman gather- 




ing sticks. God, in some way, in- 
formed him that she was the person 
who was to provide him food during 
the continuance of the famine. Eli 



OF ELIJAH. 33 

jah called to her and said, " Fetch 
me, I pray thee, a little water in a 
vessel, that I may drink." She cheer- 
fully turned away to comply with 
his request, but Elijah then asked 
her to bring him also a morsel of 
bread. This seemed out of her pow- 
er. She replied, " As the Lord thy 
God liveth, I have not a cake, but a 
handful of meal in a barrel, and a lit- 
tle oil in a cruise : and behold, I am 
gathering two sticks that I may go 
in and dress it for me and my son, 
that we may eat it and die." 

The famine which so much dis- 
tressed the Israelites had extended 
into Phoenicia. The poor woman 
was going to prepare her last meal 
for herself and a beloved child ; ex- 



34 THE LIFE 

pecting, after they had eaten it, to 
die of hunger. Ehjah must have 
looked upon her with pity, yet he 
said, ^^Fear not; go and do as thou 
hast said; but make me thereof a 
little cake first, and bring it unto me, 
and after make for thee and for thy 
son. For thus saith the Lord God 
of Israel, the barrel of meal shall not 
waste, neither shall the cruse of oil 
fail, until the day that the Lord 
sendeth rain upon the earth." This 
was a hard command. The w^oman 
was probably weak and faint from 
the scarcity of food. She felt the 
pangs of hunger, v/hich cause very 
great suffering. She thought how 
dreadful it would be to starve to 
death. She remembered her help 



OF ELIJAH. 



35 



less child, who was waiting at home 
for bread. Could she take the last 
morsel from him, and give it to a 
stranger ? 




She looked at Elijah. It was 
plain that he was a holy man, who 
was wearied with his journey, and 
exhausted by fasting. He had no 
friends to give him food. He was a 



36 THE LIFE 

servant of the God of the Hebrews, 
of whom she had heard, and who, 
she knew, had performed many won- 
derful miracles. Elijah had promis- 
ed in his name that she should be 
rewarded if she supplied his wants. 
She invited him to her house, and 
prepared tor him bread ; and after- 
wards baked more for herself and 
her son. 

This woman lived in a heathen 
country, but she had strong faith in 
the God of Israel. 

Every day the widow went to pre- 
pare bread for her family and the 
prophet ; and still there was a hand* 
ful of meal in the barrel, and a little 
oil in the cruse or bottle ; so that all 
of them ate and were satisfied. The 



OF ELIJAH. 37 

oil was olive oil, which is used in 
those countries instead of butter. 
The bread was made into thin cakes, 
and baked in the ashes, or on flat 
pieces of iron laid upon the coals. 

There was no more distress from 
hunger in the house of the widow 
of Zarephath, for God did not suffer 
her provisions to fail. A blessing 
was upon her and upon all her fa- 
mily for her kindness to Elijah. 
God has commanded us to show hos- 
pitality to strangers. 



D 



38 THE LIFE 



CHAPTER IV. 

DESCRIPTION OF MOUNT LEBANON 

Four ranges of peaks — Description of the hig:hest 
range — Of the second range — 'Cedars of Lebanon — 
Cultivated spots — Cold flowing watfsrs of Lebanon 
— Third range — Lowest range — Vineyards and or- 
chards. 

Elijah remained more than two 
years at Zarephath. It was a plea- 
sant spot. The sea was spread out 
before it, and the mountains of Le- 
banon rose, like a high wall, behind. 
As Mount Carmel was admired for 
its beauty, the mountains of Leba- 
non were celebrated by all the He- 
brew poets for their grandeur and 
sublimity. They extend many miles 



OF ELIJAH. 39 

from north to south, and consist of 
four ranges of peaks, rising one 
above another. Snow falls frequent- 
ly in winter upon the highest peaks ; 
and, as in places far above the earth, 
the air is too thin to diffuse the rays 
of the sun, so as to produce warmth, 
it lies there the greater part of the 
year. The tops of these mountains 
were some of them rounded, and 
some of them shooting up into sharp 
pinnacles. Covered with snow and 
ice, they formed an outline of the 
most dazzling whiteness against the 
clear blue sky. To seamen who 
were approaching the shore from a 
distance, they appeared like fleecy 
clouds, whose edges were tinged by 
the sun with a silvery light. Farther 



40 tHE LIFE 

down, around the borders of the 
snow, where it melts, and runs in 
many streams down the mountain, 
it was fringed by a thicket of flow- 
ering shrubs of the most brilliant 
colours. 

But the range of peaks next below 
the^e were more verdant and beauti- 
ful than I can describe. Large fo- 
rests of cedars, of a stately and ma- 
jestic kind, grew in different parts of 
the mountain. The oldest of these 
trees were immensely large. Some 
which now remain there measure 
from thirty-five to forty feet around 
the trunk. At a considerable dis- 
tance above the ground, they sent out 
wide spreading, horizontal branches 
The branches gradually grew small 



OF ELIJAH. 41 

er as they approached the top, where 
they terminated in a spire, which 
gave to the tree the shape of a pyra- 
mid. 

The regular figures and beautiful 
proportions of the cedars, covered 
with leaves which resembled those 
of the rosemary, and were always^ 
green, caused them to be much ad- 
mired. Their seeds were contained 
in large scaly cones of a reddish 
brown colour, which hung thickly 
among the branches, so that the trees 
appeared as if loaded with fruit. A 
pure, transparent, white gum was 
distilled from the branches and cones, 
which was soft and fragrant as the 
balsam of Mecca. Every part of 
these trees, the wood, the leaves. 

d3 



42 THE LIPE 

and the fruit, sent oat an aromatic 
perfume, making the cedar groves 
so pleasant and fragrant that it was 
delightful to walk in them. It was, 
probably, from this that the smell of 
Lebanon was spoken of by several 
of the writers in the Bible. 

The cedar wood was preferred for 
building, because it was more dura- 
ble, and fragrant, and beautiful than 
any other kind. The Tyrians made 
it into masts for their ships ; and Hi- 
ram, a former king of Tyre, had cut 
down many of the trees, and sent 
them to king Solomon, to be used 
in building the temple at Jerusalem. 
These trees were the glory of Leba- 
non. When the Hebrew writers 
wished to describe any thing grand, 



OF ELIJAH. 43 

or magnificent, or powerful, they 
often compared it to the cedars of 
Lebanon. 

But, besides these, there were a 
multitude of other trees scattered 
about upon the mountains. Clumps 
of fir trees rose gracefully over pre- 
cipices of white limestone, and 
waved their silvery foliage in the 
clear sunlight ; the tall pines shook 
their feathery tufts in the evening 
breeze, and the mournful cypress 
spread its thick shade over the brook. 
So many evergreens gave a solemn 
and majestic air to the scenery ; yet 
in other places there were gardens, 
and orchards, and pastures for flocks 

In open spots on the mountain 
you might look far out upon the sea, 



44 THE x_JFE 

where skips were coming from dif- 
ferent ports on the Mediterranean to 
Tyre, then the most commercial city 
in the world. 

It was beautiful to see the streams 
which were formed by the melting 
of the snows above : how they rush- 
ed in foaming^ torrents along the 
steeps of the mountain. But when 
they reached a level spot, they 
wound silently among the trees, re- 
flecting from their clear, smooth sur- 
face the overhanging boughs, and 
the shrubs and flowers that grew on 
their banks. Then they came sud- 
denly into the light, and poured their 
transparent sheets of water over the 
precipices with a thundering sound ; 
or fell in cascades from rock to rock, 



OF ELIJAH. 45 

scattering their white foam tipon the 
green turf. These were the cold 
flowino: waters df Lebanon. Cooled 
by the snow and ice which they 
brought down from above, they of- 
fered a refreshing drink to the inha 
bitants of the warm countries around. 
The cattle and sheep came there to 
quench their thirst ; ^nd so did the 
wild goats of the mountain, and the 
beautiful gazelle, with its dark and 
brilliant eyes. 

The range of peaks next below 
these was very different. It was 
covered with sharp flinty rocks and 
a thin dry soil, which bore only 
briers and thorns. It looked like a 
belt of barrenness, stretching along 
the verdure of the mountain. 



46 THE LIFE 

The lowest peaks, where the 
mountains slope down into the plain, 
were -usually covered with vineyards, 
fields of grain, and plantations of 
figs and melons. The vines yield- 
ed large clusters of purple grapes 
three times in a year. The wine 
which was made from them was of 
the richest flavour, and much cele- 
brated in that country. The soil 
produced in abundance every thing 
that is delightful to the eye and plea- 
sant to the taste. The orchards 
were filled with fruit, and the earth 
carpeted with flowers. 

I have described the mountains 
of Lebanon as they appeared in 
fruitful seasons when God sent rain 
upon the earth ; but when Elijah 



OF ELIJAH. 47 

was in the neighbourhood, they 
must have been much parched by 
the drought. Yet we may suppose 
that the prophet often walked upon 
the mountain when he wished to be 
alone, since the air was much cooler 
than at Zarephath, and it was easier 
to be quiet and retired than in the 
\ralley below. 



48 THE LIFE 



CHAPTER V. 



TO LIFE. 

Death of the widow's son — ^Description of the death 
of a child — Grief of the widow of Zarephath — Eli- 
jah prays to God over the child's body — God hears 
his prayer — The child revives — Elijah gives him to 
his mother — ^Reflection. 

One day the little son of the wi- 
dow of Zarephath was taken ill. 
His mother nursed him and watch- 
ed over him, but he grew worse and 
worse. He was pale and languid, 
and much distressed. His mother 
took him into her arms, and sup- 
ported his head against her bosom. 
His breath grew short and interrupt- 



OF ELIJAH. 49 

ed; at last it stopped. The blood 
no longer flowed in his veins and 
arteries ; his pulse and heart ceased 
to beat. He was dead. 

I saw a young child whose coun- 
tenance beamed with life and intel- 
ligence. Her eyes were soft and 
brilliant; her cheeks bloomed like 
the rose ; her motions were sprightly 
and active. Her tongue was full of 
joyous prattle, and her mind thirsted 
after knowledge. She loved to talk 
of God, her Maker and her Father, 
and gazed with delight upon his 
works, — from the bright star and 
purple cloud of evening, to the little 
flower by the way side. 

In a few days she was stretched 
weak and helpless on a pillow. Her 



50 THE LIFE 

cheeks were pale like the snowdrop, 
her breathing short and hard, and 
her voice feeble. She looked at her 
friends with a patient yet mournful 
expression, for her sufferings were 
great. She spoke in whispers of Je- 
sus Christ, her Saviour, and of her 
wish to live with God, and good peo- 
ple in heaven. 

A few days more, and her lifeless 
body was laid in a little coffin, and 
the coffin was let down into a nar- 
row grave. The grave w^as then 
filled with earth, and green turf was 
spread over it. Her parents turned 
sorrowfully away, and we saw her 
no more. 

Have you seen a dear child lying 
cold and pale, and gasping for 



OF ELIJAH. 51 

breath, with the damps of death 
upon its face? Was it your little 
brother or sister? Then you felt 
painful sorrow, and the tears ran 
down your cheeks. If you grieved 
thus, how do you think the widow 
of Zarephath felt when she looked 
upon the lifeless body of her only 
son? 

Her heart swelled as though it 
would burst. A heavy burden seem- 
ed to weigh her down, and her 
thoughts were wild and confused. 
Her husband lay in the grave, and 
now her child, her last comforter, 
was gone. He was her companion, 
and she had hoped that he would 
support and take care of her when 
she should be old 



62 THE LIFE 

She looked up, and saw Elijah 
standing before her. In her agony 
she thought that the prophet might 
have prayed to God to send this 
judgment upon her as a punish- 
ment of her sins. She said, *^ What 
have I to do with thee, Oh thou man 
of God? Art thou come unto me 
to call my sin to remembrance, and 
to slay my son." 

Elijah pitied her distress. He said 
to her, " Give me thy son." He took 
the child out of her arms, and car- 
ried him up to his own chamber, 
and laid him upon the bed. He pray- 
ed earnestly to God, and said, '^ O 
Lord, my God, hast thou also brought 
evil upon the widow with whom I 
sojourn, by slaying her son ?" Then 



OF ELIJAH. 



53 




he stretched himself three times 
upon the child, as though he would 
have given him life from his own 
body ; praying at the same time, " O 
Lord, my God, I pray thee, let this 
child's soul come into him again." 

The Lord heard the prayer of 

Elijah. The soul of the child, which 

had left his body, returned to it 

again. He breathed, opened his 

e2 



64 THE LIFE 

eyes, and revived. Elijah took him 
into his arms, and carried him dov^n, 
and gave him to his mother, saying, 
'' See, thy son liveth." Think of 
her astonishment and joy ! Her af- 
fection for the prophet, and her con- 
fidence in God returned, and she 
exclaimed, " Now bv this I know 
that thou art a man of God, and that 
the word of the Lord in th)^ month 
is truth." 

My dear children, you must all 
die as the widow's son did. But 
there will be no prophet Elijah to 
bring you back to life. It is many, 
many years since God has suffered 
such miracles to be performed. You 
must die, and be laid in the grave, 
but where will your soul be ? Your 



OF ELIJAH. 55 

immortal soul that will never die. 
Ah, that is a solemn question? You 
wish to go to heaven, but you can- 
not go there unless you are sorry for 
your sins, and trust in Jesus Christ, 
and love and obey God. If you do 
these things, your souls, when you 
die, ^vill go to God. And when, at 
the resurrection, your bodies will 
rise from the dead, and be united to 
your spirits, Jesus Christ, your Sa- 
viour, w^ho died for you, will gather 
you like lambs in his arms, and car- 
ry you in his bosom. The widow's 
son died again, but good people in 
heaven never die. They will live 
there for ever to praise God, and do 
his will. 



56 THE LIFE 



CHAPTER VL 

ELIJAH GOES TO MEET AHAB, 

God sends Elijah to Ahab— Ahab searches for EUjah 
— Ahab and Obadiah seek for water — Character of 
Obadiah — Elijah meets Obadiah^- Ahab comes to 
Elijah — Prophets and people commanded to meet 
on Mount Carmel. 

After many da3'Sj the word of 
the Lord came to Elijah, saying, 
'' Go, show thyself unto Ahab ; and I 
will send rain upon the earth." Eli- 
jah went southward, past the great 
city of Tyre, on his way to Samaria, 
to present himself before king Ahab. 

While Elijah had dwelt at Zare- 
phath, the famine had been dreadful 
in Israel, and the sufferings of the peo- 



OF ELIJAH. 67 

pie had been great. Probably, many 
had died of hunger. Yet Ahab had 
not repented of his idolatry, and 
sought forgiveness and help from 
God. He spent much time in sending 
into different countries to find Eli- 
jah ; foolishly thinking that the pro- 
phet could bring rain upon the earth, 
though he could do nothing except 
what God enabled him to do. Since 
so much pains were taken to find 
Elijah, it seems a little strange that 
he was not discovered, as he was all 
the while in the country of Phoe- 
nicia, where queen Jezebel was born, 
and where all her friends lived. But 
it was easy for God to conceal him 
from his enemies. 

Ahab told Obadiah, who was go- 



58 THE LIFE 

vernor, or steward of the palace, to 
search the land for brooks and 
springs of water where his horses 
might drink, for they were in dan- 
ger of dying with thirst. So Oba- 
diah took one road, and Ahab him- 
self took another. Obadiah was a 
good man, w^ho feared and served 
God. Some .time before this, the 
wicked queen Jezebel, who was de- 
termined to put an end to the wor- 
ship of God in her dominions, had 
murdered all the Lord's prophets 
whom she could find. Obadiah had 
then concealed a hundred of them 
in caves, and fed them with bread 
and water. This he did because he 
loved God and the friends of God, 
though he knew that the queen 



OF ELIJAH. 59 

would punish him severely, and per- 
haps take his life, if she discovered it. 
Obadiah began to serve the Lord 
in his youth, There were not many 
good men in Israel at that time. 
Almost all the people were idolaters. 
But Obadiah chose to obey the true 
God, though others should ridicule 
him for it. And he was wise in do- 
ing so. The Lord loves those that 
serve him, and especially those that 
begin to serve him early. Obadiah 
w^as prudent, and honest, and faith- 
ful. Ahab, though he had many 
idolaters about him, who would flat- 
ter and try to please him, did not 
trust them so much as he trusted 
Obadiah. He knew that Obadiah, 
who feared the Lord, would be faith- 



60 THE LIFE 

ful to the king. Solomon said in 
the Proverbs which he wrote, ^* Hap 
py is the man that findeth wisdom. 
Length of days is in her right hand, 
and in her left hand, riches and ho- 
nour." 

As Obadiah was going to look for 
springs of water, he met Elijah; and 
when he saw him, he fell on his face 
before him. This was a common 
way of saluting superiors among the 
Israelites, and it showed that Oba- 
diah felt great respect for Ehjah, 
though Obadiah was a great man at 
the court of Ahab, and Elijah was a 
poor man, and much disliked by the 
king and queen. The steward of 
the king's household was much 
trusted and honoured. He wore a 



OF ELIJAH. 61 

robe of a peculiar kind, bound with 
a precious girdle, and carried on his 
shoulder a richly ornamented key. 
This was to show that all the keys 
of the palace were committed to his 
care. Obadiah said, ^^ Art thou my 
lord Elijah?" And Elijah answered, 
^' I am : go tell thy lord, behold Eli- 
jah is here." But Obadiah said that 
he did not like to do this, because 
that Ahab had been very earnestly 
seeking for Elijah in all the king- 
doms and nations around. Obadiah 
thought that Ahab had made such a 
diligent search, that he would cer- 
tainly have found Elijah if God had 
not hid him. And he feared to tell 
the king that Elijah was there, lest 
the Spirit of God should take him 
F 



62 THE LIFE 

away, and hide him again, before 
Ahab could come to the place. If 
that should happen, Ahab would 
think he had been deceived, and 
would be very angry with Obadiah, 
and probably kill him. But Elijali 
said, " As the Lord of hosts liveth, 
before whom I stand, I will surely 
show myself unto the king to-day." 
Then Obadiah went to find Ahab, 
and told him. And when Ahab 
came to Elijah, he said to him, "Art 
thou he that troubleth Israel?" Eli- 
jah answered that he had not trou- 
bled Israel, but that the king and 
all his family had done it, because 
they had not obeyed the commands 
of God, but had forsaken him, and 
served Baal and other gods. " Now, 



OF ELIJAH. 63 

therefore," said Elijah to the king, 
*'send, and gather to me all Israel 
unto Mount Carmel, and the pro- 
phets of Baal four hundred and 
fifty, and the prophets of the groves 
four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's 
table." It was very bold in Elijah 
to speak in this manner to the king, 
who was so angry with him; but 
God gave him authority to do it, 
and Ahab feared to disobey him, 
because he knew that God was his 
friend. Perhaps Ahab hoped that; if 
he followed these directions, Elijah 
would pray for rain. 



64 THE LIFE 



CHAPTER VIL 

ELIJAH OVERCOMES THE PROPHETS 
OF BAAL. 

Description of Mount Carmel — Elijah addresses the 
people — ^Elijah's challenge to the prophets of Baal — 
Conduct of the prophets of Baal — Heathen priests 
— Baal does not hear — Elijah mocks the priests o^ 
Baal — Elijah builds an altar for sacrifice — Fir^ 
from heaven consumes the sacrifice — Prophets of 
Baal slain — God commanded the Israelites to put 
idolaters to death — Elijah foretells rain — He goes up 
to the top of Carmel — A little cloud appears — A 
heavy rain follows — Address to children. 

The morning dawned. The sun 
arose, and shone upon the hills, and 
valleys, and cities of Israel. Its ear- 
liest rays brightened the top of Mount 
Carmel. This is a high mountain or 
promontory jutting out into the Medi- 



OF ELIJAH. 



65 




terranean sea. It was usually so green 
and flourishing that the Hebrew 
poets chose it whenever they wish- 
ed for any image of beauty and love- 
liness. Thus Isaiah spoke of the 
excellency, or splendid ornaments 
of Carmel. The very name of Car- 
mel signified the garden of God. 
The top was covered with vines and 
oaks ; farther down were olive and 

f2 



66 THE LIFE 

laurel trees. Fragrant and beauti* 
fill flowers grew wild in every part 
of the mountain. Many brooks, 
clear as crystal, ran down its sides 
to the river Kishon, between banks 
thickly overgrown with bushes. 

But Carmel was now stripped of 
its beauty. Its streams were dried 
up, and all its trees and shrubs were 
scorched and brown, as though the 
hot blast of the desert had passed 
over it. And the whole land, which 
had once been so beautiful, had be- 
come desolate and bare. South of 
Carmel was the plain of Sharon * 
but its roses were withered. East- 
ward w^as the great plain of Esdra- 
elon, sprinkled over with cities and 
villages. These had once been sur- 



OF ELIJAH. 67 

rounded by delightful gardens, where 
the olive spread out its thick shade, 
and the fig, and pomegranate, and 
citron were loaded with delicious 
fruit; where flowers and spicy shrubs 
had been cultivated, — such as spike- 
nard, and myrrh, and frankincense^ 
and aloes. But nothing now appear- 
ed except the naked and barren 
branches of the trees. The flowery 
pastures of the plain were dried up, 
and the wheat and barley which 
used to wave on those rich and level 
fields were no more to be seen. The 
seed which had been cast into the 
ground had perished there from the 
want of moisture. The songs of the 
reapers, and the rolling of the thresh- 
ing wain, were no longer heard in 



68 THE LIFE 

the plains, nor the shouting of those 
who gathered and trod out the 
grapes among the hills. The cattle 
and sheep which had not died of 
famine, moaned and drooped in the 
fields, and the wild asses stood upon 
the high places, and snuffed up the 
wind, because they were tormented 
w^ith thirst. Far to the eastward. 
Mount Tabor rose out of the plain, 
in shape like a cone or sugar-loaf. 
But deprived of its crown of verdure, 
it stood like a monument of the an- 
ger of God. The ground, parched 
and baked by the sun, had in many 
places cracked and opened, and the 
whole land appeared as though it 
had been burned over with fire. The 
heaven above was like brass, and 



OF ELIJAH. 69 

the earth beneath like iron, and the 
rain of the land powder and dust. 
Even in the places where brooks 
and rivulets had formerly run, the 
reeds and flags had withered, and 
the fishes had died. The joyful 
sound of the harp and the tabret 
had ceased among men^ and the 
whole land seemed to mourn and 
languish for the wickedness of the 
king and nation. 

A multitude of people stood on 
Mount Carmel, and many others 
were hastening over the plain, and 
toiling up the sides of the mountain. 
All the Israelites had been called to- 
gether by Ahab at the request of 
Elijah, and they had left their cities 
and villages to obey the command of 



70 THE LIFE 

their king. The princes of the 
tribes of Israel, the heads of families, 
genealogists and judges, were there, 
and so were king Ahab and the offi- 
cers of his court. Four hundred 
and fifty prophets or priests of Baal 
stood ready to do honour to their 
god, but the prophets of Jehovah 
had been driven away into conceal 
ment by the persecutions of Ahab 
and Jezebel. Most of that great 
crowd of people had followed the 
example of their king, and become 
idolaters ; and if there were any 
among them who still loved and 
served the true God, they were 
obliged to do it secretly. 

Not far off was an altar where sacri- 
fices had once been offered to Jeho- 



OF ELIJAH. 71 

vah, but it was now in ruins. The 
king and queen, with the assistance 
of the idolatrous priests, had nearly 
banished the worship of God from 
their dominions; and while idols were 
set up in the groves, and temples for 
idols were built in their cities, the 
altars of Jehovah were broken down. 
It was common for the Israelites to 
be assembled together in this way 
on great and solemn occasions, when 
God had serious and important busi- 
ness to transact with them. They 
were thus gathered together at the 
foot of Mount Sinai when God gave 
them his law, which entirely forbade 
every kind of idolatry. They came 
together at Shechem, at the command 
of Joshua, just before his death. He 



72 THE LIFE 

feared that they would be tempted 
by the example of the nations around 
to worship false gods. He told them 
all the wonderful things that God 
had done for them, and then asked 
whether they would serve him, or 
whether they chose to servo the gods 
of the heathen. The people solemn- 
ly promised and made a covenant 
that they would serve the Lord. 
Joshua wrote their words in a book, 
and set up a great stone under an 
oak in Shechem, to witness against 
them if they ever forgot their pro 
mise. And now, many years after 
wards, when the nation had broken 
the engagement which their fathers 
had made for them, Elijah, in the 
name and at the command of God, 



OF ELIJAH. 73 

had called them together on Mount 
CarmeL 

We do not know what the thoughts 
and expectations of the people were, 
as they waited to see what Elijah 
would do. Perhaps they hoped that 
he would pray for rain, and that God 
would send rain in answer to his 
prayer. But when God punishes 
his people for doing wrong, he does 
not commonly remove the punish- 
ment until they are sorry, and con- 
fess their sins, and begin to forsake 
them. God was not only the Crea- 
tor and Governor of the Israelites, 
but he was their king in>a very pe- 
culiar manner. He not only gave 
them such rules to regulate their 
conduct as he gives to other men ; 
G 



74 THE LIFE 

but he made laws for their nation, 
such laws as, in other countries, 
are made by the king or the mem- 
bers of the legislature. This added 
greatly to their guilt and disobe- 
dience. They had committed what 
is called a national sin. It was 
not only a sin against their God, 
but against the governor and laws 
of their nation. God would not re- 
move his judgment till they were 
penitent. 

And how did Elijah feel as he 
looked at this great multitude, in 
which, as he supposed, there was not 
one person who would boldly de- 
clare himself a worshipper of the 
God of Israel ? He could say with 
David, '^ Rivers of waters run down 



OF ELIJAH. 75 

mine eyes, because they keep not 
thy law. I beheld the transgres- 
sors, and was grieved because they 
kept not thy word." He may be 
thinking of former times, when his 
countrymen went up in multitudes 
to worship on Mount Zion; when 
the smoke ascended from the altar 
of burnt offerings, and the songs of 
the Levites were heard, and all the 
tribes of Israel bowed before Jeho- 
vah in the courts of the temple. But 
now, how changed! They stand 
before him as a nation of idolaters, 
with their king, and their great men, 
and the prophets of Baal. But see ! 
Elijah is approaching to speak to 
the people. How earnestly do they 
fasten their eyes upon him. What 



76 THE LIFE 

a breathless silence reigns in that 
great assembly. 

He said to them, "How long halt 
ye between two opinions ? How 
long do ye doubt and hesitate who 
is the true God? If the Lord be 
God, follow him ; but if Baal, then 
follow him. If Jehovah has show- 
ed himself to be the true God, by 
the many wonderful things he has 
done for your nation, follow him; 
but if Baal can do greater things 
than these, then follow him." Per- 
haps the people had attempted to 
unite the service of God with the 
worship of Baal. The prophets of 
Baal would permit this, for the 
heathen did not care how many 
gods men worshipped. But Jeho- 



OF ELIJAH. 77 

vah vvould not suffer his people to 
pray unto and praise any god ex- 
cept himself, for there is no other 
being who could auvswer their pray- 
ers, or who was worthy of their 
praises. 

The people answered not a word 
when Elijah spoke to them in this 
manner. They could say nothing 
to excuse themselves. The}^ knew 
that Jehovah, was the true God. 
They knew that they were guilty in 
forsaking him. Their consciences 
kept them silent. Ahab too was 
silent, and the prophets of Baal were 
silent. They had not expected to 
be addressed so plainly by Elijah, 
and they lost their courage. They 
did not think Elijah would be bold 
a 2 



78 THE LIFE 

enough to condemn Baal before the 
king and the nation. Elijah said 
unto the people, '' I, even I only, 
remain a prophet of the Lord ; but 
Baal's prophets are four hundred 
and fifty men.'' He then proposed 
a way in which it might be seen 
who was the true God. He re- 
quested that two bullocks might be 
brought, and that the prophets of 
Baal would kill one, and cut it in 
pieces, and lay it upon an altar ; and 
he would kill the other, and cut it 
in pieces, and lay it upon the altar 
of Jehovah. The God who sent fire 
to burn the sacrifice should be be- 
lieved and trusted in as the true 
God. And the people said it was 
well ; let it be done. 



OF ELIJAH. %13 

Now Baal was the sun ; and the 
image which was sometimes made 
to represent Baal was the figure of 
a young man, with his right hand 
raised, and holding a whip ; while 
his left hand grasped a thunderbolt. 
This figure was covered with gold. 

Elijah said unto the prophets of 
Baal, "Choose you one bullock for 
yourselves, and dress it first ; for ye 
are many ; and call on the name of 
your gods, but put no fire under.'' 
And they took the bullock which 
was given them, and dressed it, and 
laid it on an altar, and called on the 
name of Baal, from niorning even 
until noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us!" 
But there was no voice, nor any that 
answered. And they leaped up and 



80 THE LIFE 

clown at the altar, that is, they 
danced around it with horrid cries, 
tossing their heads to and fro, and 
making many strange gestures. Per- 
haps they also sung hymns in ho- 
nour of Baal, for the heathen used 
to compose hymns in praise of their 
idols, just as Christians do in praise 
of the only true God. The heathen 
priests, when they prophesied, used 
to be w^ild and furious in their mo- 
tions. Sometimes they foamed at 
the mouth, and appeared like per- 
sons distracted. In this they w^ere 
very different from the prophets of 
God, who were calm and tranquil in 
their manner, and spoke with great 
gravity and composure. From morn- 
ing until noon, the priests of Baal 



OF ELIJAH. 81 

continued that senseless clamour, 
*' O Baal, hear us !" repeating the 
same words and the same extrava- 
gant actions, till every body must 
have been weary. Elijah waited 
patiently for them, and the people 
waited for their god to show his 
power. But no fire appeared upon 
their altar, and no answer was made 
to their prayers. This was not 
strange, for who could answer them? 
The image of Baal that was in the 
temple at Samaria ? That was only 
wood or stone. It had eyes, but 
they could not see ; ears, but they 
could not hear ; a mouth, but it 
could not speak; hands, but they 
could not move. How could it send 
fire to burn the victim on Mount 



82 THE LIFE 

Carmel ? Could the sun answer 
them ? No. It was placed in the 
heavens by God to give light and 
heat, but it could no more hear the 
cries of the priests of Baal than a 
fire or a lamp could hear them. Yet 
if the sun had been alive, and had 
been a god, it seems as if he might 
easily have sent down a little fire, 
in compliance with the request 
of his worshippers. Could Satan, 
or any of the evil angels w^ho had 
been driven out of heaven, and who 
tempt men to do wrong, answer the 
calls of the priests of Baal, and send 
fire to burn their sacrifice ^ Perhaps 
they might have done it if God had 
given them leave, for they love to 
encourage people in wickedness. 



OF ELIJAH. 83 

But they can do nothing without 
permission from God. 

At noon Elijah began to mock 
the priests of Baal by speaking ironi- 
cally, as people sometimes do when 
they wish to show the folly or ab- 
surdity of any thing. He told them 
to cry aloud. As if he had said, 
^' Though you have been crying 
aloud for many hours, it is necessary 
to call still louder, for it is plain 
that Baal does not hear you. Cry 
aloud, for he is a god. You think 
him to be a god, and the greatest of 
gods; surely then he will answer 
^ ou by-and-by, when he is ready. 
Either he is talking, or meditating, 
or he is hunting some animal, or he 
is on a journey, or perhaps he sleeps 



84 THE LIFE 

and must be awaked." Thus Eli 
j ah mocked them, that all the peo 
pie might see how ridiculous it 
was to worship a god who was em- 
ployed in such a way, and who 
could not hear when men called 
upon him. The priests of Baal did 
not understand that Elijah spoke in 
irony, but thought him in earnest, 
for they were unwise enough to 
suppose that a god might be doing 
such things, and that he might be 
at such a distance as not to be able 
to hear. So they cried still louder, 
and cut themselves, as they were 
accustomed to do, with knives and 
lancets, till the blood gushed out 
upon them, and perhaps mingled 
with the blood of their sacrifice. It 



OF ELIJAH. 85 

was a foolish custom among the 
heathen, to cnt their arms and 
hands when they wished to show 
their affection for any person, when 
they mourned for their dead friends, 
and when they prayed to their idols. 
The Israelites were forbidden to do 
it by the law of God. 

They continued their prayers and 
exclamations till the sun had sunk 
towards the west, and threw its rays 
aslant over the Mediterranean, mak- 
ing the tops of the waves to shine, 
and casting the shadows upon the 
mountain far to the eastward. But 
there was no voice, nor any to an- 
swer, nor any that regarded. 

How strangely and wickedly men 
conduct themselves when they for- 
H 



86 THE LIFE 

sake God, and follow the guidance 
of their own imaginations ! Think 
of four hundred and fifty priests of 
Baal, leaping and dancing around 
an altar, tossing their heads, distort- 
ing their faces, cutting their arms 
till the blood flowed out. Hear the 
confused screaming of so many 
voices, crying, " O Baal, hear us !" 
from morning till the middle of the 
afternoon, and then look at the se- 
rious, rational, and sober appearance 
of Elijah. 

It was three o'clock, the hour of 
the evening sacrifice at the temple 
in Jerusalem, when Elijah, who had 
given the prophets of Baal nearly 
the whole day to show w^hat their 
god could do, thought it was time to 



OF ELIJAH. 87 

interrupt them. He said unto all 
the people, " Come near unto me." 
And all the people came near unto 
him. And he took twelve stones, 
according to the number of the tribes 
of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the 
word of the Lord came, saying, " Is- 
rael shall be thy name." And with 
the stones he repaired the altar of 
the Lord, and he made a trench 
about the altar, large enough to con- 
tain eighteen quarts of seed. And 
he put the wood in order, and cut 
the bullock in pieces, and laid him 
on the wood, and said, ^'Fill four 
barrels with water, and pour it on 
the sacrifice, and on the wood." 
And he said, ''Do it the second time." 
And they did it the second time. 



8£ THE LIFE 

And he said, *^Do it the third time '^ 
And they did it the third time. And 
the water ran round about the altar ; 
and he filled the trench also with 
water. And it came to pass at the 
time of the offering of the evening 
sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet 
came near, and said, '^ Lord God of 
Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it 
be known this day that thou art God 
in Israel, and that I am thy servant, 
and that I have done all these things 
at thy word. Hear me, O Lord, 
hear me, that this people may know 
that thou art the Lord God, and that 
thou hast turned their heart back 
again." 

When EHjah had offered this 
short and solemn prayer, so different 



OF ELIJAH. 



89 



from the noisy and irreverent wor 
ship of the priests of Baal, the fire of 
the Lord fell upon the altar, perhaps 
in the form of lightning shooting 




h2 



90 THE lif:e 

down from the sky. It consumed 
the sacrifice, and the wood, and the 
stones, and the dust, and dried up 
the water that was in the trench. 
And when all the people saw it, they 
fell on their faces; and they said, 
" The Lord, he is the God ; the 
Lord, he is the God." 

The Lord had often made himself 
known to the Israelites in this way. 
On one occasion, in the days of 
Moses and Aaron, '' There came a 
fire out from before the Lord, and 
consumed upon the altar the burnt- 
offering." On another occasion, 
when Gideon was offering a sacrifice 
upon a rock, the angel of the Lord 
touched the fleshy and unleavened 
cakes, with the end of his staff, and 



OF ELIJAH. 91 

*• there rose up fire from the rock, 
and consumed them." "When David 
was sacrificing in the threshing- 
floor of Ornon, the Jebusite, to stop 
the plague among his people, the 
Lord ^^ answered him from heaven by 
fire upon the burnt-offering." When 
Solomon had ended his prayer at 
the dedication of the temple, ''the 
fire came down from heaven, and 
consumed the burnt^offering and 
sacrifices." 

Elijah had no doubt that God 
would appear in the same manner 
on the present occasion, and he 
wished that all the people should 
see for themselves, that the fire 
really came down from heaven. It 
was for this reason that he com- 



92 THE LIFE 

manded so much water to be poured 
on the burnt-sacrifice, and on the 
wood, and in the trench round about 
the altar. It w^ould be plain to the 
Israelites that Elijah could not have 
deceived them, by concealing fire 
near the altar, and then pretending 
that it came down from the skies. 
They knew that such a deception 
was impossible in these circum- 
stances. They were, therefore, so 
fully convinced that the fire was 
sent by God, that they all fell on 
their faces, and said, " The Lord, he 
is the God ; the Lord, he is the 
God r 

And Elijah said unto the people, 
'' Take the prophets of Baal; let not 
one of them escape." And they 



OF ELIJAH. 93 

took them, and Elijah brought them 
down to the brook Kishon, which 
winds around the foot of Mount 
Carmel, and slew them there. Eli- 
jah did not kill the four hundred 
and fifty prophets of Baal because 
he was cruel, and liked to take away 
"^e lives of men. It was probably 
a very painful duty for him to per 
form. But God had commanded 
that idolaters should be put to death ; 
and these priests, in connexion with 
Ahab and Jezebel, had tempted the 
whole nation of Israel to depart 
from God, and break his laws. 
When they were put to death, jus- 
tice was done, Jehovah was honour- 
ed, and God was then ready to send 
a blessing upon the Israelites^ 



94 THE LIFE 

Elijah told Ahab to go and refresh 
himself with food and drink, for he 
heard a sound in the air which con- 
vinced him that there would soon 
be an abundance of rain. So Ahab 
went, probably into his tent, to eat 
and to drink, for this had been a 
day of great fatigue and anxiety. 
But Elijah did not indulge himself 
in this manner. He went up to the 
top of Carmel, and cast himself down 
upon the earth, and put his face be- 
tween his knees. This was a pos- 
ture for prayer, and the prophet 
was undoubtedly occupied in ear- 
nestly praying to God to send rain 
upon the land. He told his servant 
to go up to the brow of the moun- 
tain, and look out upon the sea. He 



OF ELIJAH. 95 

went, but soon returned, and said 
that he saw nothing; and Elijah 
told him to go again seven times. 
He went ; and the seventh time he 
came to Elijah, and said, '^ Behold, 
there ariseth a little cloud out of the 
sea, like a man's hand." Elijah 
knew that it would bring rain, for 
the storms in that country come 
from the Mediterranean. That was 
the reason why he had sent his ser- 
vant to look out upon the sea for the 
first appearance of a cloud. Rain 
also usually comes in that country 
m the evening, and it was then near 
the close of the day. Elijah then told 
his servant to say to Ahab, " Prepare 
thy chariot and return home, that 
the rain stop thee not.'' 



96 THE LIFE 

Meanwhile, the cloud, which was, 
at first, but a little speck upon the 
horizon, rose and spread till the 
whole sky was covered with black- 
ness. The wind swept furiously 
across the mountain, and the rain 
fell in torrents. Such storms often 
rise at the east end of the Mediter- 
ranean, and they are very dangerous 
to ships. Sailors call them Levan- 
ters. 

Ahab rode towards Jezreel, where 
he had a palace, and where his fa- 
mily were at that time. Though 
Elijah must have been wearied with 
the services of the day, and exhaust- 
ed by the want of food, yet God 
gave him strength, so that he fasten- 
ed his girdle around his loose robd 



OF ELIJAH. 97 

of sackcloth which he wore, and ran 
before the chariot of Ahab, more than 
thirty miles, to the gate of Jezreel. 

Now, before I close this chapter, 
it I were to ask all my young read- 
ers who is the true God? not one 
of them would hesitate a moment 
what answer to give. All of them 
would say, the God who has given 
us the Bible is the true God. He 
made us ; and he made the earth, 
and the sun, and the stars, and every 
thing else that exists. He takes 
care of us, and gives our friends, 
and our food and clothes, and all 
that we need. He gave his Son to 
die on the cross for our sins. He 
is the God who ought to be loved 
and obeyed. 

I 



98 THE LIFE 

Then let me ask if you do love 
and obey him. He commands you 
to do this. He says, " My son, give 
me thine heart." Have you given 
your heart to God ? I hope some 
of you have done so. But I fear 
some of you have not done it. In 
that case, when I talk with you 
about God, you must be silent, as 
the Israelites were when Elijah 
talked with them. How wicked it 
is for children not to love God and 
obey him, when he is so good, and 
so kind to them. They love their 
parents who take care of them ; but 
they do not love God, they do not 
obey him, they do not think of him, 
though he is all the while doing so 
much to make them happy. When 
children love God, they can go and 



OF ELIJAH- 99 

pray to him, and ask him, for 
Christ's sake, to forgive them for all 
the wrong things they have ever done, 
or spoken, or thought. They can 
lie down, and not be afraid, for God 
will watch over them, and not let 
them be hurt. And if they should 
die before morning, they hope they 
shall go to heaven, where many good 
children have gone before them ; — 
where Christ is, and where God is. 
Will you not, then, my dear child- 
dren, begin to love and serve God 
now ? He says, " I love them that 
love me, and those that seek me 
early shall find me." Begin to love 
God now, and you will be safe and 
happy, and if you live to grow up, 
you will be useful men and women. 



100 THE LIFE 



CHAPTER VIII. 

ELIJAH IN THE DESERT. 

Jezebel threatens Elijah — He escapes to the desert — - 
He wishes to die — He sleeps under a juniper tree — 
An angel brings him bread and water — Description 
of angels — Elijah forty days without food — Two 
branches of the Red sea — Horeb between them — : 
Description of the desert — Mountains of Sinai — 
Elijah on Horeb — God passes before Elijah — The 
wind — The earthquake — The fire — The still small 
voice — Elijah commanded to go to Damascus — We 
should be thankful tha God re:*gns — Elijah chooses 
Elisha. 

When Ahab came to his palace 
at Jezreel, he went in and told his 
queen what had happened. As soon 
as she heard that all the priests of 
her god Baal had been slain by Eli- 
jah, she was very angry with him. 



OF ELIJAH. 



101 







Desert of ARABIA 



She instantly sent a messenger to 
tell Elijah that queen Jezebel swore 
by her gods that she would treat Eli- 
jah as he had treated the prophets of 
Baal, before that hour the next even- 
ing. Elijah was much fatigued, and 
needed rest; but when he heai-d 
this threatening message, he arose 
in haste, and fled from the city. He 

i2 



102 THE LIFE 

had shown great boldness all day in 
the presence of the king and the 
people of Israel, though he had stood 
alone, and opposed to the whole 
multitude. Yet he was now alarm- 
ed and distressed at the threats 
of an angry woman. Much of his 
courage and trust in God seems to 
have left him. He went out of Is- 
rael, and through the land of Judah 
into Beersheba, which lay on its 
southern borders. Here he left his 
servant, who may have been too 
weary to go any farther. But he 
dared not stop himself. He went 
a day's journey southward into 
the v^ilderness, and sat down under 
a juniper tree to rest. It is not car 
tainly known w^hat tree this was, 



OF ELIJAH. 103 

but if it was not a tall species * of 
juniper, it was probably a cedar, or 
some kind of evergreen. 

When Elijah sat down under the 
tree in the v/ilderness, he felt wea- 
ried and sad. Though God had 
aided him in his endeavours to do 
good to the Israelites, and had so 
kindly protected him when he was 
in danger, he forgot the scenes on 
Mount Carmel, and was discouraged 
and sinfully impatient. He wished 
that he might die, and go into a 
world where he should not be per- 
secuted, or troubled by wicked peo- 
ple. He said, *' It is enough; now, 
O Lord, take away my life ; for I 
am not better than my fathers." 

It was wrong for Elijah to despair 



104 THE LIFE 

thus. It was wrong for him to wish 
to die, and leave the work which 
God had appointed for him to do in 
the world. It was wrong for him 
to be so much afraid of Jezebel. He 
should have remained in the king- 
dom of Israel, and trusted in God 
to protect him. It was his duty to 
preach to the people, and attempt to 
reform them. Their minds would 
be better prepared to listen to his 
instructions, after the miracle on 
Mount Carmel. 

Elijah lay and slept under the 
juniper tree. He was alone. On 
every side was a wild desert coun- 
try. He felt some person touch him. 
He opened his eyes, and there was 
an angel of God. The angel said 



OF ELIJAH. 105 

to him, ^' Arise, atid eat.'' He look- 
ed around, and saw a cruse of water 
standing near, and a cake which 
had been baked on the coals. Eli- 
jah had been a long time without 
food, and was faint and weary. He 
ate the bread, and drank the water. 
He knew that they were placed 
there by the same Being who com- 
manded the ravens to bring him 
food, by the side of the brook Che- 
rith. When he had finished his 
meal, he laid him down again and 
slept. And, the second time, an an- 
gel touched him, and said, " Arise, 
and eat, because the journey [which 
thou art about to take] is too great 
for thee." 

Elijah seemed to be alone in the 



106 THE LIFE 

desert, far from the habitations of 
men. He probably did not think 
that any one was near him but God. 
Yet an angel was watching over 
him, and preparing him food. 

The angels are bright and glo- 
rious beings who stand around the 
throne of God, and sing sweet songs 
of praise, while they play on their 
golden harps. Their knowledge is 
far greater than that of men. They 
are full of love to God and one an- 
other, and to all the creatures whom 
God has made. They are perfectly 
holy, and never do wrong. They 
are strong, active, and powerful, and 
ever beautiful and young. They 
are swift messengers of God to do 
his will in every part of the universe, 



OF ELIJAH. 107 

and they have been many tiint^-3 sent 
to this world on errands of kindness 
and mercy. We have reason to be- 
heve that they often watch over and 
protect good men, especially when 
they are in trouble or danger. King 
David thought so when he wrote 
in one of his beautiful psalms, 
" The angel of the Lord encampeth 
round about them that fear him, and 
delivereth them." And the writer 
of the ninety-first psalm thought so, 
when he said to every person who 
is a friend of God, '' for he shall give 
his angels charge over thee, to keep 
thee in all thy ways." Even the 
Greek poet Hesiod, who lived at 
about the same time that Elijah did, 
believed this, though he was a 



108 THE LIFE 

heathen, for he wrote in one of his 
poems that a multitude of spirits 
keep a watchful guard around men, 
and observe their actions. 

We cannot see the angels, be 
cause our eyes are not so made as 
to perceive spiritual beings. But 
it is delightful to think, especially 
when we are alone, and in sorrow, 
that they may be watching over us, 
and aiding us, and giving us plea- 
sant thoughts. If our souls could 
escape from our bodies, we might 
perhaps see them all around us, and 
hear their voices praising God, or 
speaking to each other of his works. 

When Elijah had finished his 
meal, the last he was to eat for 
many days, he fastened his girdle 



OF ELIJAH. 109 

around him, and prepared for a jour- 
ney. He was going to Mount Ho- 
reb ; where God had formerly given 
the law to his people. It is not 
known why he wished to go there, 
but it was, probably, that he might 
spend some time in prayer and me- 
ditation in the place where God 
had once appeared to his fathers, 
and where he would be in no dan- 
ger of being disturbed by his ene- 
mies. 

The northern part of the Red sea 
divides into two gulfs. The eastern 
is called the gulf of Akaba, or the 
Elanitic gulf; and the western, the 
gulf of Suez. The peninsula be- 
tween these gulfs is the desert of 
Sinai ; and on this peninsula are the 
K 



110 THE LIFE 

mountains of Sinai and Horeb. 
North of this peninsula, and south 
of Palestine, is the desert of Paran. 
Elijah has just entered the bor- 
ders of this desert. He walks for- 
ward through the soft sand. All 
the plain around him, as far as he 
can see, appears like an ocean of 
sand rolled into waves by the winds. 
Presently his path lies among hills, 
but they are covered with sand, 
which is loose and shifting like that 
upon the plain. Every breeze moves 
it, and blows it into the face of the 
traveller. Sometimes a whirlwind 
suddenly raises it into a column, 
which appears to reach the sky, and 
resembles the water-spouts that are 
seen by sailors, far out at sea. Then 



OF ELIJAH. 



Ill 



it is scattered and falls like showers, 
to the great distress of travellers, 
who cannot breathe without drawing 
the fine dust and sand into their 
lungs. 

The sun shines fiercely in those 
deserts, and its beams are reflected 
from the sand with a scorching glare, 
so that travellers can scarcely en- 
dure the excessive heat. How re- 




112 THE LIFE 

freshing would be the shade of a 
tree or a spot of green turf. 

Elijah continued to go towards 
the south. On his left hand was 
the valley of Ghor, through which, 
it is supposed, the river Jordan used 
to run to the gulf of Akaba, before 
the anger of God against the Sodom- 
ites caused it to overflow its banks, 
and spread out into the lake that is 
called the Dead sea. The populous 
country of Idumea, or Edom, was 
on the mountains of Seir, east of 
the valley of Ghor. The inhabit- 
ants were said to dwell in the clefts 
of the rock, because many of the 
palaces and temples of Petra, their 
capital city, w^ere cut out of the 
rocks. On the right hand of Elijah, 



OF ELIJAH 113 

though at a greater distance, was 
Egypt) then the most powerful 
kingdom in the world. 

He was passing through the de- 
sert where the Israelites had wan- 
dered forty years before they settled 
in the land of Canaan. It was call- 
ed a desert land, a waste howling 
wilderness, and that great and terri- 
ble wilderness wherein were fiery 
serpents, scorpions, and drought, 
where there was no water. It w^as 
also called a land of deserts and of 
pits,— a land of drought, and of the 
shadow of death, — a land that no 
man passed through, and where no 
man dwelt. 

The difficulty of walking through 
the burning sand was increased by 

k2 



114 THE LIFE 

large quantities of sharp black flint 
stones, that were scattered over the 
plain ; and it was painful to see the 
bones of men and animals who had 
died of thirst and fatigue in this ter- 
rible wilderness. 

Yet there is w^ater here and there 
in the desert; if it were not so, 
all who attempt to pass through it 
would perish with thirst. Some- 
times a little spring, bursting out 
from the ground, causes an oasis, or 
an island of verdure, in the midst 
of the sand. Here are usually found 
palm trees, from whose branches, 
under the tuft of leaves at the top, 
the dates are suspended in beautiful 
clusters. These fountains are often 
surrounded by grass and elegant 
flowering plants and shrubs. 



OF ELIJAH. 115 

The traveller, weary and parched 
with thirst, sees the tall trees at a 
distance, and hastens to lie down 
under their shade, and to drink of 
the cooling waters. But sometimes 
he is disappointed by finding these 
wells bitter, or so salt as to increase 
his thirst. 

Sometimes, after having wander- 
ed long amid the scorching sands, 
Elijah ascended a hill, and looked 
down into a deep and narrow valley, 
that was filled with trees. The 
water had collected there during 
the winter rains, and rendered the 
soil fertile. Here were tamarisks, 
and plantations of palms, and groves 
of acacia, a light and delicate tree 
from which is distilled the gum 



116 THE LIFE 

arable. The thorny shrub gharkaJ 
grew there. It produces juicy and 
refreshing berries, in taste a little 
like a gooseberry. These were beau- 
tiful spots, ornamented with flowers^ 
and giving a cooling shade. The 
w^andering shepherds fed their flocks 
in these valleys. When all the plants 
in one of them were gone, they 
sought for another. 

Elijah could not have gone straight 
forward on his journey, for he was 
forty days in reaching Horeb, which 
was not more than two hundred 
miles south of Beersheba. We do 
not know what made him so long 
on his journey. In that pathless 
wilderness he may sometimes have 
lost his vray, and wandered far with- 



OF ELIJAH. 117 

out coming any nearer to Horeb. 
And he may have been sick or 
weary, and unable to proceed ; or 
he may have chosen to remain, for 
a v^hile, by the side of a well, or 
in some of the shady valleys. Some- 
times he may have seen at a dis- 
tance a camp of Ishmaelites, who 
roved over the wilderness in search 
of plunder, and of pastures for their 
flocks. Elijah would not like to ap- 
proach these bold robbers; for though 
he had no money, they might take 
away his garments, as their descend- 
ants now often strip travellers of all 
their valuable clothing. He may 
have sometimes seen, far off' on the 
borders of the horizon, a caravan^ or 
company of merchants, going down 



118 THE LIFE 

to Egypt, or returning from that 
country homeward. 

Now a sohtary IshmaeUte may 
have passed on his camel at a dis- 
tance, or bands of men armed with 
swords and long spears may have 
gUded by swiftly on their fleet 
horses. Here, the prophet may have 
been in danger from a scorpion 
basking in the sun, and there, from 
a high pillar of sand whirling wildly 
over the desert. Sometimes he may 
have been very thirsty, while the 
sands glowed like a furnace around 
him, and thought he saw at a dis- 
tance a transparent lake or river, 
which seemed to reflect every ob- 
ject around it. But, ah ! he is mis- 
taken ; there is no water there. It 



OF ELIJAH. 119 

is only the mirage, which often de- 
ceives and disappoints travellers. 
It is caused by the reflection of the 
rays of the sun from the vapours 
which rise out of the heated earth. 
When a person who has been long 
suffering from want of water sees 
this appearance, he hastens forward 
to quench his thirst. But he soon 
finds, as he endeavours to approach 
it, that it flies farther and farther 
from his reach, and at last learns, to 
his great distress, that he has been 
following a shadow. 

Elijah had fled from danger, but 
he could not have found himself 
much more safe in the desert than 
he would have been in the land of 
Israel. Among other dangers which 



120 THE LIFE 

have been mentioned, he was expos- 
ed to the simoom, that often blows 
in those countries from the south- 
east. It is a hot wind which some- 
times lasts several hours. It causes 
weakness, languor, and discourage- 
ment, and those who breathe it feel 
as though they had inhaled fire. The 
way to avoid it is* to fall upon the 
ground, and cover the face. It is 
always safest to be found in the path 
of duty. 

Here is the wilderness of Sinai. 
It is rugged and mountainous, but 
some of the valleys are fruitful. Eli- 
jah is toiling over the steep and slip- 
pery rocks. He has fasted during 
the whole forty days of his journey, 
as Moses fasted forty days when he 



OF ELIJAH. 121 

received the law from God, in this 
very v^ilderness. God gave Elijah 
strength to endure all the fatigue of 
travelling through the desert vrith- 
out food. 

At length he sees, at a distance, 
on the south and south-west, a long 
range of high mountains. The tops 
are shaggy and pointed, the sides 
are steep and shattered. As he ap- 
proaches nearer, he sees before him 
two high peaks which are surround- 
ed by abrupt cliffs of red granite, 
several hundred feet high. Their 
tops are composed of naked rock, 
and sharpened in the shape of a 
wedge. These mountains stand 
close together; one of them is Si- 
nai, the other, Horeb. 
L 



122 THE LIFE 

Elijah goes on, mile after mile, up 
a frightful ravine, so narrow and 
overhung with rocks that the moon- 
light cannot penetrate into it. At last 
he enters a more open valley, about 
half a mile wide, and draws near to 
Horeb, the Mount of God. He as- 
cends the mountain with great dif- 
ficulty, and enters into a deep and 
solitary cavern. He is faint and 
weary, but he has no home, and no 
kind mother or sister to cheer and 
comfort him. There is no widow 
of Zarephath here to provide for 
him, and he cannot expect that the 
ravens will feed him on the moun- 
tain, as they did by the brook Che- 
rith. But he can get water from the 
springs that break out on the top 



OF ELIJAH. 12S 

of Horeb, and trickle over its rocks ; 
and many fruits grow on the trees 
and bushes in the valleys around. 

Still I do not think that Elijah 
was happy. The Bible does not 
tell us how he felt, but I think he 
was not satisfied with himself He 
was alone ; but that would not trou- 
ble him if his mind was at peace, 
for he had been accustomed to soli- 
tude, and he loved it. When far 
away from the habitations of men, 
and from the bustle of the world, he 
could think of God, and pray to 
him, and praise him without inter- 
ruption. But, perhaps, Elijah began 
to doubt whether it was his duty 
to flee from his native land, and 
whether it was not cowardly for a 



.24 THE LIFE 

prophet of the Lord to be so aljarm- 
ed at the threats of a wicked woman. 

If such were his feelings, he could 
not have been happy. When he 
knelt down in his dark cavern, and 
prayed to God, he would still be 
sorrowful and melancholy. Besides 
Elijah loved his country, and it 
made him sad to think that all his 
countrymen were idolaters. 

We do not know how long Elijah 
lived on Horeb. He would every 
day go out from his lonely dwelling, 
and look on the sublime and sacred 
scenes around him. He had never 
been at Horeb before, but he had 
often read in the Scriptures how 
God descended on these mountains, 
in flaming fire, to make known his 



OF ELIJAH. 125 

holy name and law to Israel. Eli- 
jah must have been filled with con- 
tinual awe. Yonder, Moses stood 
when God put into his hands the 
two tables of stone, on which were 
engraven the ten commandments. 
Here hovered ten thousand bright 
and beautiful angels, that came down 
from heaven to witness the giving 
of the law to the chosen people of 
God. Far down in yonder valley, 
though still some distance above 
the base of the mountain, stood the 
twelve tribes, when the voice of the 
trumpet became exceedingly loud 
and long, and the tops of Sinai were 
veiled in darkness, and shaken with 
tempests. On this projecting cliff, 

Moses listened to the distant shouts 
l2. 



126 THE LIFE 

of the people in the camp below, as 
thej bowed in worship to the golden 
calf; and farther down, on this bold 
rock, his anger at their idolatry 
caused him to dash in pieces the 
tables of stone. 

Now Elijah stands on one of the 
highest peaks of the mountain, and 
beholds, far away on either hand, the 
two branches of the Red sea; and 
now he shelters himself from the 
heat in one of the cool and fertile 
valleys w^hich are common in this 
elevated region Sometimes he 
climbs over huge masses of rock 
which are barren and bare; and 
then again he wanders amidst herbs 
which sprout up in the crevices, and 
send forth a delicious fragrance in 
the morning dews. 



OF ELIJAH. 127 

One day, when Elijah was alone 
in his cave, God spoke to him, and 
said, '' What doest thou here, Eli- 
jah?'' And EUjah answered, '^ I 
have been very jealous for the Lord 
God of Ho&ts; for the children of 
Israel have forsaken thy covenant, 
thrown down thine altars, and slain 
thy prophets with the sword ; and I, 
even I only, am left ; and they seek 
my life to take it away.'' The pro- 
phet meant to say, that he had been 
exceedingly anxious that God should 
be honoured, and that the Israelites 
should worship and serve him ; and 
that he had long endeavoured tt* 
persuade them to do this ; but they 
did not regard his instructions or 
his prayers ; they had all become 



128 THE LIFE 

idolaters ; they had destroyed the 
altars of God, and slain his prophets, 
till Ehjah was the only one left, 
and they were seeking to kill him. 

Elijah was too much discouraged. 
If he had remained in Israel, he 
would have found many persons 
who would have aided him in restor- 
ing the worship of the true God. 
Most of the prophets, whom Oba- 
diah had concealed, were probably 
alive, and waiting for happier times. 
But when a person is in a gloomy, 
desponding state of mind, he does 
not judge rightly on any subject. 
Every thing looks dark and discou- 
raging, and he is irresolute and dis- 
heartened at every difficulty. 

God then said to Elijah, **Go 



OF ELIJAH. 129 

forth, and stand upon the njiount 
before the Lord." Immediately the 
roaring of a mighty wind was 
heard. It swept furiously against 
the mountain. The trees at its foot 
tossed their branches wildly, and 
creaked and groaned in the blast. 
At last they were torn in pieces, 
and scattered over the desert. Even 
the mountains themselves were rent 
asunder, and the firm granite rocks 
were shivered and broken like glass. 
The wind passed away, but God 
was not in the wind. 

Presently Elijah heard a hollow, 
rumbling sound beneath him in the 
depths of the mountain. It grew 
louder and louder. The earth trem- 
bled. It heaved and tossed like the 



130 THE LIFE 

ocean in a storm, for it seemed as 
though the ground would open, and 
swallow every thing up. It was 
very terrible. Then it passed away, 
and all was again quiet; but God 
was not in the earthquake. 

After the earthquake, came a fire. 
Mount Sinai glowed like a furnace. 
Fierce flames ran along the ground, 
and quivered in the air. They dis- 
appeared, but God was not in the fire. 

Soon a still small voice was heard. 
That was the voice of God. Elijah 
was filled with awe. He wrapped 
his face in his mantle, as a sign of 
reverence, and went out, and stood 
in the entrance of the cave. 

I do not know exactly the mean- 
ing of the scene I have just describ- 



OF ELIJAH. 



13i 




ed ; but perhaps God meant to show 
EUjah that the wind, and the earth- 
quake, and the fire were at his com- 
mand, and that he could easily send 
them to destroy his enemies, the 
idolatrous Israelites ; but that he 
preferred the still small voice of gen- 
tleness and mercy. 

As Elijah stood before the cave, 
with his face covered, a voice came 



132 THE LIFE 

^ to him again, and said, '^ What do- 
est thou here, Elijah?" And he 
answered, as he did before, that he 
wished much that God should be 
honoured, but that the Israelites had 
become so idolatrous that he could 
do them no good, and that he was 
not safe among them. 

God said to him, *^ Go return on 
thy way to the wilderness of Da- 
mascus; and, when thou comest, 
anoint Hazael to be king over Sy- 
ria. And Jehu, the son of Nimshi, 
shalt thou anoint to be king over 
Israel ; and Elisha, the son of Sha- 
phat, of Abel-meholah, shalt thou 
anoint to be prophet in thy room. 
And it shall come to pass, that him 
that escapeth the sword of Hazael 



OF ELIJAH. ' 133 

shall Jehu slay ; and him that es- 
capeth from the sword of Jehu shall 
Elisha slay. Yet I have left me 
seven thousand in Israel, all the 
knees which have not bowed unto 
Jiaal, and every mouth which hath 
not kissed him." * 

Seven thousand men in Israel 
who worshipped God ! This shows 
how much Elijah was mistaken 
when he thought he was alone. 

Elijah was so jealous for the ho- 
nour of the Lord God of Hosts, that 
he may have wondered why God 
did not seem to take any more notice 
of the idolatry of the Israelites. He 
thought they ought to be punished 
immediately. But God informed 
him that there were still many in 
M 



134 THE LIFE 

Israel who loved and obeyed him, 
and abhorred idolatry. For their 
sakes he would bear a little longer 
with the rest. Besides, God is pa- 
tient and merciful, and does not 
usually punish sinners immediately, 
but gives them time to repent. 

He had not been inattentive to the 
wickedness of the king and people 
of Israel, and he would certainly 
punish them if they did not repent 
and reform. He was preparing to 
do this when he told Elijah to anoint 
Hazael, and Jehu, and Elisha. Ha- 
zael would be a bitter enemy to the 
Israelites, and would do them great 
evil. He would set on fire their 
strong fortresses, and slay their 
young men with the sword, and 



OF ELIJAH. 135 

dash their children against the walls 
of their cities. Jehu would destroy 
the family, and take the throne of 
wicked Ahab ; and Elisha would be 
the means of bringing on the Israel, 
ites the wrath of God, because they 
would not attend to his instructions. 
In this way God would punish the 
nation for their idolatry. He would 
bear with them longer than Elijah 
would have done, not because he 
was less displeased with their sins, 
but because he was far more merci- 
ful and kind than Elijah. 

How thankful ought we to be that 
God reigns, and not man. Man is 
weak and ignorant, he is passionate 
and short-sighted; he would some- 
times punish too soon, and some^- 



136 THE LIFE 

times too much, and sometimes 
those who are innocent. EKjah 
was angry with the whole nation, 
but God saw seven thousand men in 
it who hated Baal as really as Eli- 
jah did. Oh ! how delightful it is 
to think that One reigns over the 
world who knows every thing, and 
is so kind, and merciful, and slow to 
anger. 

Elijah departed from Horeb. We 
do not know the way that he took, 
but it is generally supposed that he 
went around the east end of the 
Dead sea, and through the land of 
Gilead to Damascus, which lay on 
the north-east of the land of Israel. 
On his way to Damascus, or on his 
return, he went over the Jordan to 



OF ELIJAH. 



137 




S DamascuB 
^ 9 



Horcb /^ 




Abel-meholah, near the foot of Mount 
Gilboa. He entered a field where a 
man was ploughing. He was pro- 
bably a rich man, for he had twelve 

M 2 



i3R 



THE LIFE 




yoke of oxen. The plough was a 
simple instrument, with a beam in 
front to fasten it to the oxen, and a 
slight frame behind with handles, 
or perhaps a single handle for a 



OF ELIJAH 139 

man to take hold of, and a sharp 
piece of wood or iron, which rested 
on the ground, and projected from 
the frame towards the end of the 
shaft* Tiiis made openings in the 
earth, but they were not very deep. 
The man who was ploughing with 
this light instrument found it neces- 
sary to lean heavily upon it, or it 
would not break the ground suffi- 
ciently. He could not look back, 
or be inattentive to his business* 

But Elijah knew that it was Eli- 
sha, the son of Shaphat, whom he 
had been commanded to anoint as 
his successor ; and, as he passed by, 
he threw his mantle upon him. He 
did this to show that Elisha must 
leave his farm, and go with him. 



140 THE LIFE 

and be a prophet of God, and pre- 
pare himself to take the place of 
Elijah, when he should be removed 
from this world, Elisha understood 
this to be his meaning, for he left 
his oxen, and ran after Elijah, and 
said, '^ Let me, I pray thee, kiss my 
father and my mother, and then I 
will follow thee." Elijah gave him 
permission ; and he went and killed 
two pair of oxen, and boiled their 
flesh over a fire which he made of 
the yokes. He made a feast for his 
parents and neighbours, and bade 
them an affectionate farewell. Then 
he cheerfully left all his possessions, 
and went with Elijah, and waited 
upon him, and attended to his in 
structions. Elijah could no longer 



OF ELIJAH. 141 

complain that he was alone, for he 
had now a companion who could 
help and comfort him. 

Elisha was kind and affectionate 
towards his parents. He was doubt- 
less an obedient and dutiful son. 
God promises to bless those that ho- 
nour their parents. The Bible does 
not tell us how the father and mo- 
ther of Elisha felt, when they bade 
him adieu. They must have been 
very sorrowful at parting with him^ 
and at being left alone in their old 
age. But I believe they were still 
glad that their son was called to be 
a prophet of the Lord, and to be the 
successor of so great and so good a 
man as Elijah. It would comfort 
them to hear from him sometimes 



142 THE LIFE 

and to hear from others how much 
he was respected and beloved by all 
the good people in the nation. So- 
lomon says, " The father of the 
righteous shall greatly rejoice." 
"What child would not be good and 
kind to his parents, and when he 
grows up be a useful and respecta- 
ble man, that his father and his mo- 
ther may be glad ? 

Elijah and Elisha probably went 
from house to house, and privately 
taught such of the people as were 
willing to listen to them. But they 
also spent much of their time in es- 
tablishing schools for the prophets. 
These were places where young 
men, who wished to become pro- 
phets of God, could go and study 



OF ELIJAH. 143 

and pray, and prepare themselves 
to instruct the people. I think Eli- 
jah and Elisha would not have been 
permitted to have done this, if Ahab 
and Jezebel had not been much oc- 
cupied in carrying on wars against 
the king of Syria. 



144 THE LIFE 



CHAPTER IX. 



Ahab covets Naboth's vineyard — ^Naboth refuses to 
sell it — ^Israelites forbidden to sell tbeir land — Ahab 
displeased with Naboth — Jezebel promises to give 
Ahab the vineyard — Ancient custom of sealing let- 
ters — Naboth falsely accused, and slain — Ahab seizes 
the vineyard — Elijah sent to Ahab in the vineyard 
— Ahab humbles himself. 

Several years had passed away 
since the prophet Ehjah returned 
from Mount Horeb. During that 
time Benhadad, king of Syria, had 
twice brought a large army against 
the Israehtes, expecting to subdue 
them, and take possession of their 
country. But God directed Ahab 
what to do, and enabled him to con- 



OF ELIJAH. 145 

quer the Syrians, though his army 
was much smaller than their's. But 
Ahab was not grateful to God, who 
delivered him from the Syrians. He 
did not repent, but grew worse and 
worse. 

Ahab was a rich king. He had 
a palace in Samaria, and another in 
Jezreel. He had pleasant gardens, 
and orchards, and fields of grain, 
and plantations of ohves. Many 
flocks of sheep and herds of cattle 
fed in his pastures. He had a palace 
so much inlaid and ornamented with 
ivory, that it was called the ivory 
house. Yet he was not happy. Why 
was not Ahab satisfied when God 
had given him so much wealth? 

Because he had a discontented, 
N 



146 THE LIFE 

restless mind. All the riches in the 
world will not make such a person 
happy. He is always wanting more ; 
and he thinks much more of what 
he wants than of what he has. 

A vineyard, which did not belong 
to Ahab, lay near his palace at Jez- 
reel. It was owned by a man of 
the city, whose name was Naboth. 

Ahab saw it when he walked on 
the roof of his palace in the morning, 
or when the heat of the day was 
over. He was so covetous that he 
did not like to see another man's 
field so near his palace. It was, 
perhaps, the only land that Naboth 
owned, but the king was so selfish 
he did not care for that. He deter- 
mined to obtain it, if he possibly 



OF ELIJAH. 147 

could. He went to Naboth, and 
said, '' Give me thy vineyard, that 
I may have it for a garden of 
herbs, because it is near nnto my 
house ; and I will give thee for it a 
better vineyard than it; or, if it 
seem good to thee, I will give thee 
the worth of it in money." But 
Naboth answered, ^'The Lord for- 
bid it me, that I should give the in- 
heritance of my fathers unto thee." 
Now^ Ahab knew, or he ought to 
have known, that there was a law 
of God w^hich forbade Naboth to 
sell his vineyard. The land of an 
Israelite was considered the property 
of his family as w^ell as of himself 
He had received it from his parents, 
and it was his duty to keep it for 



148 THE LIFE 

his children. If he was in debt, or 
needed money, he might lease or 
mortgage his land to another man, 
who would return it to him or to 
his children at the year of jubilee, 
which came every fiftieth year. 
But if he had sold it to Ahab, it 
would have always remained a part 
of the royal possessions. This was 
the reason why Naboth answered 
the king in such a manner. He 
could not sell the land without dis- 
obeying the law of God, and wrong- 
ing his own children, who would 
value the estate which came to them 
from their ancestors much more 
than any other. 

But Ahab was too much harden- 
ed in wickedness to regard the com- 



OF ELIJAH. 149 

mands of God, or the interest of 
Naboth's children. He was disap- 
pointed and angry. He returned 
to his palace, and entered his bed- 
chamber, and went up to his divan. 
This was a sort of sofa, made by 
raising a part of the floor along one 
end of the room a few feet above the 
rest. This sofa was covered with a 
rich carpet, and spread with splen- 
did cushions and mattrasses, for sit- 
ting upon during the day, and sleep- 
ing on at night. Ahab threw him- 
self upon a mattrass, and turned his 
face to the wall. He wished more 
than ever for the vineyard. He was 
vexed with Naboth for presuming 
to deny him any thing he wanted. 
He did not like to yield to one of 

n2 



150 THE LIFE 

his own subjects, and he did not 
know what to do. He had been so 
much accustomed to be flattered 
and indulged, that he acted like a 
spoiled child. When he was in- 
formed that his table w^as spread, 
he refused to move from the place 
where he was, or to eat. But Jeze- 
bel, his wife, came to him, and said, 
'' Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou 
eatest no bread?'' And he said 
unto her, ''Because I spake unto 
Naboth, the Jezreelite, and said 
unto him, ' Give me thy vineyard 
for money ; or else, if it please thee, 
I will give thee another vineyard 
for it;' and he answered, 'I will not 
give thee my vineyard.'" Ahab 
did not tell the reason why Naboth 



OF ELIJAH. 151 

would not sell his vineyard ; but 
made it appear that Naboth was 
disobliging and unkind. But Jeze- 
bel said to him, ^' Dost thou now 
govern the kmgdom of Israel?'' If 
you are king of Israel, \vhy do you 
not find out a way to do, in all re- 
spects, as you wish? ^' Arise, and 
eat bread, and let thy heart be 
merry: I will give thee the vine- 
yard of Naboth, the Jezreelite." 
Jezebel knew that she could obtain 
it by a most wicked and cruel ac- 
tion ; and she was always ready to 
do any thing to gratify her own 
proud and covetous desires, or those 
of her husband. She immediately 
wrote letters, in king Ahab's name, 
to the elders and nobles of Jezreel; 
and here is a copy of the letters : — 



152 THE LIFE 

" Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth 
on high among the people. And 
set two men, sons of Belial, before 
him, to bear witness against him, 
saying, ' Thou didst blaspheme God 
and the king ;' then carry him out, 
nd stone him, that he may die/' 

These letters were stamped with 
the king's seal, to show that he had 
permitted her to give what orders 
she chose upon the subject. The seal 
was not impressed upon wax; but 
it had raised letters upon it, and the 
queen dipped it into ink, and printed 
the letters on the parchment, or papy- 
rus, or wooden tablets, on which she 
wrote. Then she, perhaps, enclosed 
the letters in a satin purse, bound 
together with silken strings; foi 



OF ELIJAH. 153 

that was customary among people 
of high rank. 

The elders and nobles of Jezreel 
must have known that Naboth was 
an innocent man. They knew that 
they should offend God, and be 
guilty of great cruelty and injustice 
towards a neighbour and fellow-citi- 
zen, if they obeyed JezebeFs com- 
mands. But they dared not oppose 
the queen. Perhaps they were such 
bad men, that they did not wish to 
do it. It seems very likely that 
they were so, since they were in fa- 
vour with a wicked king and queen, 
and had probably disobeyed the law 
of God, and become worshippers of 
idols. 

They appointed a fast, to make 



154 THE LIFE 

the people think some dreadfully 
sinful act had been done to offend 
God. And when the citizens had 
assembled together in great won- 
der and consternation, they placed 
Naboth before them as a criminal, 
and hired two false witnesses to say 
that he had been guilty of blas- 
phemy and high treason. Then, 
without giving him time to plead 
his own cause, or to prove that he 
had been falsely accused, they con- 
demned him to death. They also 
condemned his sons to die with him, 
though no accu.sation had been 
brought against them, for Jezebel 
did not wish any heir of his pro 
perty to remain alive. They in- 
stantly hurried them out of the city, 



OF ELIJAH. 155 

and when they had gone beyond the 
city gate, the witnesses began to 
throw stones at Naboth. Then all 
the people threw stones at Naboth 
and his sons till they died. 

The elders of Jezreel sent a mes- 
senger to the queen to inform her 
that Naboth was dead. 

As soon as Jezebel heard it, she 
said to Ahab, '' Arise, take posses- 
sion of the vineyard of Naboth the 
Jezreelite, which he refused to give 
thee for money ; for Naboth is not 
alive, but dead." 

Ahab well understood that Naboth 
had been put to death by Jezebel's 
orders. But he did not blame her; 
he did not even seem to be sorry. 
Perhaps he had been early instruct- 



156 THE LIFE 

ed ill the knowledge of the true 
God and of his law. He must have 
sometimes read the Holy Scriptures. 
He knew what was right, and what 
was wrong, and he had not quite 
dared to do so wicked a thing as 
to give orders himself for putting 
• Naboth to death. But he was quite 
willing to have it done by Jezebel, 
who had been brought up in a hea- 
then country, and had neither con- 
science nor principle. He was will- 
ing to have his queen use his own 
royal seal to induce others to take 
away the life of an innocent and 
pious man, and the lives of his 
children, — and all for so little a 
thing as a garden for vegetables, 
when he had gardens enough before 



OF ELIJAH. 157 

Naboth had been put to death in 
consequence of being accused of 
blasphemy, and treason against the 
government. Of course his pro- 
perty was forfeited to the king. 
Ahab went to take possession of the 
vineyard, perhaps in company with 
some of his principal officers. 

In the meantime, God had com- 
manded Elijah to go down to the 
vineyard of Naboth to meet Ahab, 
and deliver a message to him from 
God. 

Ahab stood m the vineyard he 

had so long wanted. It was now 

his own. There was nobody alive 

who could take it away from him. 

But I do not think he was happy. 

Oh no ! I would not have felt as he 
O 



158 THE LIFE 

did then for all the vineyards in the 
world. All around him were the 
vines that Naboth had planted, and 
pruned, and trained. He had watch- 
ed them from day to day, as the 
clusters of grapes were ripening ; 
and, when they were ripe, he had 
gone with his labourers to gather 
in the vintage, and carry it to the 
winepress, with songs and shout- 
ings of great joy. 

Why does Ahab look so fearfully 
around? There is nothing to be 
seen but the long rows of vines, and 
the walls of the vineyard, and the 
winepress, and the instruments of 
labour, and the neighbouring build- 
ings. But Ahab seems to see the 
mangled bodies of Naboth and his 



Oh ELIJAH. 159 

sons, who had been murdered to 
gratify his avarice. He was a great 
king, and none of his subjects could 
punish him ; but there was One in 
heaven who had seen what had 
been done, and that he had con- 
sented to it, and who would punish 
him for his injustice. Ahab knew 
this, and I do not believe he could 
quite forget it. 

Ahab had taken possession of the 
vineyard, and was ready to return 
home, when a venerable man stood 
before him. It was Elijah, the pro 
phet of God, the reformer of Israel 
The king was filled with fear and 
dislike wnen he saw the stern coun 
tenance of Elijah. He felt guilty, 
and had reason to believe that God 



160 THE LIFE 

had sent Elijah with some terrible 
message. And so he had. 

Ahab said to the prophet, *' Hast 
thou found me, O mine enemy?'' 
And Elijah answered, " I have 
found thee ; because thou hast sold 
thyself to work evil in the sight of 
the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, 
Hast thou killed, and also taken 
possession ? Thus saith the Lord, 
In the place where dogs licked the 
blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy 
blood, even thine. Behold I will 
bring evil upon thee, and wall take 
away thy posterity ; and all the sons 
and grandsons of Aha> shall die an 
early and violent death. And I will 
make thy house like the house of 
Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and 



OF ELIJAH. 161 



like the house of Baasha, the son 
of Ahijah, whose descendants were 
killed, and the kingdom passed into 
other families, on account of their 
wickedness. Him that dieth of Ahab 
in the city, the dogs shall eat ; and 
he that dieth in the field shall be 
devoured by vultures and other rave- 
nous birds." And of Jezebel, God 
said, ^' The dogs shall eat Jezebel 
by the wall of Jezreel." 

In Palestine dogs were not owned 
by masters, and taken care of, and 
caressed, and loved as they are in 
this country. A few hunting dogs 
were kept, but the rest were de 
spised and avoided. The people 
were not willing even to touch them. 
Thus they became wild and savage^ 

o2 



162 THE LIFE 

and wandered in herds about the 
streets of the cities, seeking for food. 
At night they disturbed the inhabit- 
ants by howling like wolves. As 
they were usually half-starved, they 
ate every thing they could find in 
the streets, especially the dead 
bodies of men and animals. 

Elijah was commanded to deliver 
these terrible predictions against 
Ahab, because he had given himself 
up to do evil more than any other 
king of Israel ; though all of them 
were very wicked. He was entirely 
under the influence of his wife, who 
hated God, and his worship, and his 
servants, and who was continually 
tempting Ahab to do wrong. By 
following her advice he became 



OF ELIJAH. 163 

worse than the heathen around^ and 
as bad as the Canaanites whom God 
had driven out of the country of Pa- 
lestine, that the Israelites might inha- 
bit it. It was necessary to pronounce 
a severe sentence against Ahab and 
his family, that the people might 
learn that God is displeased with 
idolatry, and will punish all who 
sin against him. 

When Ahab heard the message 
of Elijah he was much alarmed. 
He was not sorry, in the right way, 
that he had sinned against God ; 
but he was grieved at the judgments 
that were coming upon himself and 
family. But he appeared as a peni- 
tent. He rent his clothes, and put on 
a garment of sackcloth, and fasted ^ 



164 THE LIFE 

and went about with a sorrowful air. 
Perhaps he confessed his sins, and 
thought he would forsake them. 
And God said to Elijah, '' Seest thou 
how Ahab humbleth himself before 
me? Because he humbleth him- 
self before me, I will not bring the 
evil in his days ; but in his son's 
days will I bring the evil upon his 
house. '^ 



OF ELIJAH. 165 



CHAPTER X. 

ELIJAH CALLS DOWN FIRE FROM HEAVEN. 

Ahab slain at Ramoth-Gilead — Ahaziah injured by 
falling through a lattice — He sends messengers to 
Baai-zebub — Heathen oracles — Messengers meet Eli- 
jah — They return to Ahaziah — Soldiers sent to take 
Elijah — Consumed by fire from heaven — Elijah 
goes to Samaria. 

Two years afterwards, Ahab, and 
Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, went 
with their armies to take the city 
of Ramoth-Gilead, w^hich was then 
in possession of the Syrians. God 
had sent Micaiah, one of his pro- 
phets, to warn Ahab not to go, but 
Ahab did not regard the command 
of God. He went in disguise, but 



166 



THE LIFE 




he was wounded by an arrow from 
one of the Syrian army. His ser- 
vants held him up in his chariot, 
while the blood streamed from his 
wound all day ; at night, he died. 
He was carried to Samaria, and 
buried. His chariot and harness 
were taken to the pool of Samaria 
to be washed, and there the dogs 



OF ELIJAH. 167 

licked the blood of Ahab, as Elijah 
had predicted. 

Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, was the 
next king of Israel. He was under 
the influence of his mother Jezebel, 
and continued to do evil as his father 
Ahab had done. He worshipped 
Baal and Astarte, and encouraged 
the people in idolatry. When he 
had reigned part of two years, he 
was one day on the roof of his pa- 
lace, or in one of the upper galleries 
that surrounded the court. He was 
probably leaning carelessly over the 
balustrade, for he fell through the 
lattice on the marble pavement in 
the court below. He was very 
much hurt, and feared he should 
not recover. He sent messengers 



168 THE LIFE 

to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, a 
city of Philistia, to inquire if he 
should ever recover from his disease. 
The heathen used to pretend that 
their gods could foretell future 
events. Some of their gods were 
much celebrated for doing this, and 
these were called oracles, because 
they spoke or declared things that 
were to come. Baal-zebub was the 
name of one of the princes of the 
devils, and perhaps it was a devil 
whom the Ekronites worshipped 
under that name. I do not know 
whether the devil gave the answers 
to the persons who went to consult 
him, or whether the priests of the 
idol gave the answers, and deceived 
the people. In either case it was 



OF ELIJAH. 169 

very foolish to go to Baal-zebub, for 
the devil could only give such an- 
swers as God permitted him to give ; 
besides, he is a liar, and nothing he 
says can be depended upon. As 
for the priests, they could not tell 
what would happen in future, for 
a very plain reason ;— if Aey did not 
hiow. However, I believe the cun- 
ning priests usually gave the an- 
swers themselves, for the oracles 
were almost always ambiguous: 
which means that they might be ex- 
plained in two different ways, so 
that, whatever might happen, the 
oracle would be found to be right. 
It was strange that the hea- 
then should be deceived in this way, 
biit it was much more strange 



170 THE LIFE 

that Ahaziah, who was an Israelite; 
should have any confidence in the 
oracles of Baal-zebub. He might 
have sent to the temple at Jerusa- 
lem to inquire of the true God by 
the Urim and Thummim; or he 
might have asked Elijah, or some 
of the prophets. But he was an 
idolater like his parents, and chose 
to inquire of one of the gods of the 
Philistines. This was a great dis- 
honour to God, who had done so 
many wonderful things for the Is- 
raelites, and he was much displeased. 
He commanded Elijah to go and 
meet the messengers of Ahaziah, 
and told him what to say to them. 
Elijah met the messengers as they 
were going from Samaria to Ekron, 



OF ELIJAH. 171 

and said, '' Go, turn again unto the 
king that sent you, and say unto 
him, Thus saith the Lord, Is it not 
because there is not a God in Israel, 
that thou sendest to inquire of Baal- 
zebub, the god of Ekron ? therefore 
thou shalt not come down from that 
bed on which thou art gone up, but 
shall surely die." The men re- 
turned, and Ahaziah said to them, 
*' Why are ye now turned back?" 
They told him that they had met 
a man, who had sent them back 
with a message which they deliver- 
ed to the king. Ahaziah asked what 
Rind of a man he was. They de- 
scribed him, and Ahaziah said, *^It 
is Elijah, the Tishbite." 

The armies of Israel were divided 



172 THE LIFE 

into coinpanies of fifty men* Each 
company was under the command 
of a captain. Ahaziah was so angry 
with Elijahj that he sent a captain 
with one of these companies, to 
bring him down to the palace at 
Samaria. The men marched along 
till they saw Elijah sitting on the top 
of a hill. He was dressed in a hairy 
garment, fastened around the waist 
with a leathern girdle. They went 
up to him, and the captain, as I 
suppose, in a haughty and insolent 
manner, spoke to him, " Thou man 
of God, the king hath said, come 
down." Elijah was not angry at 
this rudeness, on his own account ; 
but then he knew that by insulting 
him, the captain had dishonoured the 



OF ELIJAH. 173 

great God of heaven, whose prophet 
Elijah was. The captain, I sup- 
pose, did not think that EUjah was 
a prophet. He called him a man of 
God only in contempt. There was 
something in his voice and manner 
which showed that he meant to ridi- 
cule the prophet. Elijah replied 
very solemnly, ^^ If I be a man of 
God then let fire come down from 
heaven, and consume thee and thy 
fifty.'' Elijah had scarcely done 
speaking, when fire came down from 
heaven, and consumed the captain 
and every one of his men. I think 
the fire may have been great sheets 
of flame, wrapping the men all 
around. A moment before, a large 
company of men stood there in a 

p2 



174 THE LIFE 

military dress, healthy, active, and 
joyous. Now, thejT^ have vanished, 
and nothing remains but small heaps 
of ashes on the ground. Oh, how 
dangerous is it to trifle with God ! 

The king was told by some one 
that the men sent to take Elijah had 
been consumed by fire. But kings 
care more about gratifying their 
own wishes, than they do about the 
lives of their soldiers. So the king 
determined to send a captain and 
fifty men more to take Elijah. They 
went to the hill. The captain, one 
would think, might have been warn- 
ed by what had happened, to treat 
Elijah respectfully. But he spoke 
to him very much as the other cap- 
tain had done. Elijah replied to 



OF ELIJAH. 175 

him just as he had replied before 
The fire flashed down from the 
skies, and consumed the captain and 
all the soldiers in a moment. 

Again the king sent another cap- 
tain with his fifty men. And the 
third captain of fifty w^ent up, and 
fell on his knees before Elijah, and 
besought him, and said unto him, 
'' O man of God, I pray thee, let my 
life, and the lives of these fifty, thy 
servants, be precious in thy sight. 
Behold, there came fire down from 
heaven, and burnt up the two cap- 
tains of the former fifties, with their 
fifties ; therefore let my life now be 
precious in thy sight." 

And the angel of the Lord said 
unto Elijah, '' Go down with him ; 



176 THE LIFE 

be not alt aid of him.'' And ho 
arose, and went down with him 
unto the king^. And he said unto 
the king, " Thus saith the Lord, 
Forasmuch as thou hast sent mes- 
sengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, 
the god of Ekron, is it not because 
there is no God in Israel, [or be- 
cause you think there is no God in 
Israel,] to inquire of his word ? there- 
fore, thou shalt not come down off 
that bed on which thou art gone up, 
but shalt surely die." 

Though Elijah was so bold in de- 
claring the message of God, Aha- 
ziah did not dare to hurt him. He 
left the palace. The king soon died, 
and Jehoram, his brother, became 
king of Israel. 



OF ELIJAH. 177 



CHAPTER XI. 

ELIJAH ASCENDS IN A FIEHY CHARIOT 
TO HEAVEN* 

Translation of Enoch — Elijah visits the schools of the 
prophets — He divides Jordan with his mantle — 
Converses with Elisha — Taken up in a fiery cha- 
riot to heaven— His mantle caught by Elisha — Eli- 
jah divides the waters of Jordan — Sons of the pro- 
phets search for Elijah — -Elijah appears again on 
earth. 

*^DusT thou art, and unto dust 
shalt thou return," was the sentence 
pronounced on Adam and his de- 
scendants, when he had sinned 
against God by eating the forbidden 
fruit. In consequence of this sen- 
tence, the many generations of men 
w^ho had lived between Adam and 



178 THE LIFE 

Elijah had died, and their bodies 
had mingled with the dust. There 
had been but one exception ; it was 
Enoch, a holy man, who lived about 
a thousand years after the creation 
of the world, and more than two 
thousand years before Elijah. He 
walked with God; which means, 
that while he lived and walked 
upon the earth, his thoughts and 
affections were in heaven, and that 
his chief desire was to obey God in 
all things. And he did not die 
His soul was not separated from 
his body, but his mind was freed 
from every sin, and his body was 
made glorious and heavenly, and he 
was taken to dwell with God, with- 
out suffering the pains of death 



OF ELIJAH. 179 

Elijah knew that God had deter- 
mined to honour him in the same 
way. He also had lived a retired 
and holy life. He had given iip 
many of the pleasures and luxuries 
which he might have enjoyed for 
the sake of obeying God. He had 
been continually opposed to the 
king and nobility of Israel, because 
they were idolaters ; and had there- 
fore been always despised and dis- 
liked. But, in spite of the contempt 
and anger of his countrymen, Eli- 
jah was faithful to his God, and the 
time had now come when he was 
to receive his reward. 

Two venerable men were seen 
passing through one of the gates of 
Gilgal, a city near the river Jordan, 



180 



THE LIFE 




O Samaria 




Eethel • J "^ 

Gilgal«r 
Jericho •^ 
Jerusalem ^ 



and on the north-east borders of the 
tribe of Benjamin. It was the city 
where Joshua and the IsraeUtes en- 
camped after they crossed the Jordan 
on their first entrance into the land 
of Canaan; and here was the menu* 
ment of twelve stones, which Joshua 
had taken from the river, and set 
ap as a memorial of their safe arri- 



OF ELIJAH. 181 

val in the country which they were 
to inhabit. This was one of the 
cities where Samuel went every 
year to hold courts of justice. It 
was also th^ place where Saul was 
crowned, and where sacrifices were 
sometimes offered. 

The two men, who had just left 
Gilgal, and were turning their steps 
westward, were Elijah and Elisha. 
Elijah was going to visit, and bid 
farewell to some of the schools of 
the prophets, before he took his de- 
parture from the earth. As they 
walked on together, Elijah said to 
Elisha, " Tarry here, I pray thee; for 
the Lord hath sent me to Bethel." 
And Elisha answered, ''As the Lord 

liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will 
Q 



182 THE LIFE 

not leave thee." So they went on 
till they came to a city in a narrow 
valley, between two high rocky 
hills. This was Bethel. It was 
situated in the southern part of the 
tribe of Ephraim, on the borders of 
the land of Benjamin. In some of 
the fields in this valley Jacob had 
passed the night, when he went out 
from his father and his mother to go 
into a strange land. Here he slept, 
with a stone for his pillow, and 
dreamed he saw a ladder reaching 
from heaven to earth, and angels 
ascending and descending upon it. 
It was in Bethel that Jeroboam set 
up one of his golden calves, and 
made an altar near it, where the 
people used to sacrifice, before the 



OF ELIJAH. 183 

temple of Baal was built in Samaria. 
Elijah had established a school of 
the prophets here, and the young; 
men who belonged to it came out to 
meet him. They had been inform- 
ed that Elijah was to be removed 
from them, and they must have sor- 
rowed greatly at seeing his face for 
the last time. They said to Elisha, 
" Knowest thou that the Lord will 
take away thy master from thy head 
to-day?" And he said, '^ Yea, I know 
it ; hold you your peace." 

Elisha knew that he must part 
with his friend and teacher, and he 
was much grieved, but he advised 
the young men to be quiet, and not 
disturb the composure of Elijah at 
such a solemn time. When Elijah 



iJ4 THE LIFE 

had given his parting instructions 
to the young men, he said to Ehsha, 
*' Tarry here, I pray thee; for the 
Lord hath sent me to Jericho." Per 
haps EUjah wished to go alone, that 
he might not make any display of 
the honour that God was about to 
show him, for good men are always 
humble. Or perhaps he wished to 
try the strength of Elisha's attach- 
ment to him. But Elisha determin- 
ed to enjoy the conversation and 
company of Elijah to the very last. 
He again replied, " As the Lord 
liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will 
not leave thee." They turned again 
eastward, and went forward together, 
conversing on the state of the church 
among the Israelites, or on the glo 



OF ELIJAH. 185 

ries of heaven, till tiiey saw the 
towers of Jericho rising above the 
palm groves and plantations of bal- 
sam trees that surrounded the city. 
The sons of the prophets who be- 
longed to the seminary at Jericho, 
had also been informed that this 
was the parting visit of Elijah, and 
they said to Elisha, " Knowxst thou 
that the Lord will take away thy 
master from thy head to-day V^ 
Elisha replied as before, " Yea, I 
know it: hold you your peace/' 
And Elijah said to Elisha, " Tatry, 
1 pray thee, here ; for the Lord hath 
sent me to Jordan." And he said, 
*' As the Lord liveth, and as thy 
soul liveth, I will not leave thee." 

It was but a few miles to the river 
q2 



186 THE LIFE 

Jordan. As the two prophets went 
towards it, fifty young men from the 
school of the prophets followed afar 
off to see what would be done. The 
river Jordan rolled onwards to the 
Dead sea between rows of willows, 
and tamarisks, and oleanders. Eli- 
jah and Elisha stood on its banks. 
And Elijah took his mantle, and 
wrapped it together, and smote the 
waters, and they were divided ; so 
that they two went over on dry 
ground. 

W hen they were gone over, and 
stood on the eastern bank of the river, 
Elijah said to Elisha, '* Ask what I 
shall do for thee, before I be taken 
away from thee." And Elisha said; 
*' I pray thee, let a double portion 



OF ELIJAH. 187 

of thy spirit be upon me." Elijah 
answered, " Thou hast asked a hard 
thing ; but if thou see me when I 
am taken from thee, it shall be so ; 
but if not, it shall not be so." And 
it came to pass, as they still went on, 
and talked, that, behold, there ap- 
peared a chariot of fire, and horses 
of fire, and parted them both asun- 
der ; and Elijah went up by a whirl- 
wind into heaven. And Elisha saw 
it, and he lamented, saying, ^^My 
father, my father ! the chariot of 
Israel, and the horsemen thereof;" 
meaning, that Elijah, by his prayers, 
and instructions, and good example, 
had done more to protect and defend 
his country than horsemen or cha- 
riots of war CO 11 Id do. Elisha saw 



188 THE LIFE 

him no more ; and as an expression 
of his sorrow, he took hold of his 
own clothes, and rent them in two 
pieces. 

The mantle of Elijah had fallen 
from him as he ascended into heaven. 
Elisha took it up, and kept it as a 
token that he was to be the succes- 
sor of Elijah, and that a double por- 
tion of Elijah's spirit was to rest 
upon him. He went back, and stood 
by the side of Jordan. And he took 
the mantle of Elijah, and smote the 
waters, and said, ^^ Where is the 
Lord God of Elijah?" And when 
he had smitten the waters, they 
parted hither and thither; and Eli- 
sha went over. 

And when the fifty young pro- 



OF ELIJAH. 189 

phets, who stood on the western 
side of the river, saw him, they said, 
" The spirit of Elijah doth rest upon 
Elisha." And they came to meet 
him, and bowed themselves to the 
ground before him. They did this 
to show that since Elijah was gone, 
they would render respect and obe- 
dience to Elisha as the head of the 
seminaries of the prophets. And 
they said unto Elisha, ^' Behold, 
now there be with thy servants fifty 
strong men ; let them go, we pray 
thee, and seek thy master ; lest per- 
ad venture the Spirit of the Lord 
hath taken him up, and cast him 
upon some mountain, or into some 
valley." And he said, "Ye shall 
not send." And when they urged 



190'^ THE LIFE 

him till he was ashamed, he suffered 
them to go, that they might be con- 
vinced that Elijah had indeed gone 
up into heaven. They sent fifty 
men, while Elisha remained at Jeri- 
cho. They went, and sought three 
days in the neighbourhood of Mount 
Nebo, and at last returned satisfied 
that Elijah was really gone. And 
Elisha said unto them, ^^Did I not 
say unto you, go not'?" 



More than nine hundred years 
had passed since Elijah went up in 
a fiery chariot to heaven. During 
that long period many changes had 
taken place among his countrymen. 
The family of Ahab and Jezebel 
had been destroyed. The kingdom 



OF ELIJAH. 191 

of Israel had been conquered by the 
Assyrians, and that of Judah by the 
Babylonians. Jerusalem and the 
temple had been burned, and all the 
cities of Israel laid waste. The Jews 
and Israelites had been made slaves, 
and carried by their conquerors to 
the banks of the river Euphrates. 
After a long and weary captivity 
they were restored, and permitted 
to rebuild their temple and ruined 
cities. Again they planted vine- 
yards among the hills of Judah, and 
gathered in their harvests on the 
plain of Jezreel. 

All this time, Elijah had been 
living in heaven. He had been 
dwelling in the presence of God, 
and in the company of angels and 



192 THE LIFE 

glorifiei spirits. No wicked Ahab 
or Jezebel was there to disturb his 
peace, or endanger his Kfe. He had 
now a rich reward for all his toils and 
fastings on earth. He had entered 
into rest. The God of Israel, for 
whose honour he had been so 
anxious among his idolatrous coun- 
trymen, had put on his head a glo- 
rious crown. But he must once 
more descend upon the mountains 
of Israel, over which he had wan- 
dered in his earthly pilgrimage. 

You know that when Jesus, the 
Son of God, the long-promised Sa- 
viour, made his appearance in the 
world, he was announced by John 
the Baptist, who came in the spirit 
and power of Elijah, and like that 



OF ELIJAH. 193 

prophet wore a hairy garment, and 
lived in the desert, and preached the 
terrors of the law to all transgressors. 
But Jesus came with a voice of peace 
and love, offering life and salvation 
to those who repent, and believe on 
him ; and showing that he was truly 
the Christ, by many miracles of 
kindness and mercy. The time was 
drawing near when he would go 
from Galilee to Jerusalem, there to 
die upon the cross, that God might 
justly pardon the sins of men. He 
took Peter, and James, and John, 
and went up into a high mountain 
to pray. Many suppose it was 
Mount Tabor, on the plain of Es- 
draelon. While he prayed^ his face 
shone like the sun, and his raiment 
R 



194 



THE LIFE 




was white as the light. Two hea 
venly visitors came and talked with 
him. One of them was Moses, the 
lawgiver of Israel, and the other w^as 
Elijah, one of the chief interpreters 
of the law. Elijah did not appear 
with a garment of sackcloth, and a 
leathern girdle, and a countenance 
pale with fatigue and fasting, as he 
did when he lived upon earth. 



OF ELIJAH. 195 

No. He appeared in glory, like an 
inhabitant of heaven, and a compa- 
nion of the angels. Moses and Eli- 
jah conversed with Jesus upon his 
death, which was soon to take place 
at Jerusalem. 

The Bible does not tell us why 
Moses and Elijah were chosen for 
this service. It would have been 
thought an honour by Gabriel, or 
any of the mighty archangels that 
surround the throne of Jehovah, to 
be sent on such an errand. But 
Moses and Elijah had been eminent 
reformers and servants of God on 
earth, and they had endured many 
sufferings for the good of their fel- 
low-men. They knew what it was 
to make sacrifices for others, and 



196 THE LIFE 

perhaps they were selected partly 
on this account to converse with the 
Son of God, and comfort him, in 
view of his expected death, for the 
sins of the world. 

The three disciples were over- 
powered, and their eyes were heavy 
with sleep. But when they awoke, 
Peter, delighted with the glory that 
surrounded his Master and the two 
heavenly beings who stood with 
him, said, " Lord, it is good for us to 
be here ; if thou wilt, let us make 
three tabernacles ; one for thee, and 
one for Moses, and one for Elias, or 
Elijah." 

As he spoke, a bright cloud over- 
shadowed them, and Moses and 
Ehjah parted from them, and as- 



OF ELIJAH. 197 

tended up into the cloud. God was 
in the cloud, and a voice out of it 
said, " This is my beloved Son, in 
whom I am well pleased ; hear ye 
him." The disciples fell upon their 
faces with fear ; but Jesus touched 
them, and said, *^ Arise, and be not 
afraid" They arose, and looked 
arouiiU. The heavenly visitors had 
vani^ned, — Elijah had gone up in 
glory, a second time, from earth to 
his home in the skies. There he 
would welcome the rising Saviour, 
and rejoice over the spirits of just 
men, as they gather into the man- 
sions of blessedness prepared for 
them in heaven. 

THE END. 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: May 2005 

*reservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Dnve 
Cranberry Township. PA 16066 



' 'Tip; ? ■ 



.^■'^V^ 



^^^^4i^m^l LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




014 169 900 3 



:^ ^J 




'%\ 



